Simply Complex
by LilMissFangirl
Summary: They were on a collision course. Maybe they were meant to meet, maybe it was a coincidence, but his black and white world was about to get a splash of gray area that came in a beautiful package named Selina. (Also published on AOO)
1. At Last We Meet

1.

It was simple, he just wanted to work as he usually did. When asked what his job was, he would answer 'President and CEO of Wayne Enterprises.' But that was neither his job nor what he was working on. While true, that's what he did; his actual duties were to the city and keeping her safe. Simple. That was what he wanted to do on that particular night. Knock some bad-guy heads together, maybe stop a mugging or two, or if it was a particularly jazzy night even disarm a death ray. Simplicity. That's _all_ he wanted. Apparently, that was too much to ask.

Fingers flying on the keyboard, Bruce Wayne sat at the helm of the Batcave mostly armed in the suit, cape and belt slung over the back of the chair for less distraction and cowl removed from his face. He was focusing on several screens at once, following current incoming 9-1-1 calls, police dispatches and diving further into the current burglary cases he was investigating. The _connected_ burglary cases he was investigating.

"Sir?"

The familiar British accent rang behind him, but Bruce barely heard it. "Hmm?" Was all he managed as his mind concentrated on finding any traces of evidence the cops might have missed via the crime scene photos. "Are you in need of anything before you leave, sir?" Alfred inquired. "Nngh…" Was the eloquent response, and a wave of his gloved hand in dismissal. An eyebrow quirked up on Alfred's face, but he didn't press for an answer. He knew all he would receive were grunts and occasionally a murmur of something incomprehensible when Bruce got like this. Rising to his feet, Bruce finished dressing in the Batsuit. "Be back later, Alfred." His smooth voice rumbled as he crossed the cave in large strides. "Try not to get shot, Master Bruce." "Mmm."

* * *

As Batman perched, the edge of the current building he was on serving as the perfect vantage point to scan the streets, he observed silence. He'd been working on this area of Gotham for a few days now, and criminals had noticed. They either took their business elsewhere or chose not to take part in illegal activities altogether. It pleased a small part inside of him to know that his mere presence on a ledge could halt crime for several blocks.

Bruce stood, cape lapping at his ankles in the breeze, and sobered up from his pride. He had been working in this area because several robberies had occurred and for the life of him he couldn't catch the perpetrator. Every which way he thought of to get even a glimpse of the thief, it seems said thief had thought of as well. While the ever elusive criminal was stealing what they wanted, when they wanted, he barely had a lead on what sort of weapons they were equipped with. A growl escaped his throat at the thought and his ire was sparked anew. He was not leaving the streets until he had more information.

They had to be smart to plan such perfect crimes. Very smart. They also had to be strong, athletic. The athleticism necessary to weave by all the cameras _and _make such clean escapes was not found in average people. That meant they could probably put up a good fight. But, while this person was muscular, they had to be agile and probably fairly small. Batman himself could pull off the same sort of movements, but he or anyone with his same build wouldn't be able to slip out of the windows this thief escaped from, the tiny holes they'd made and slipped through, and they would have a tougher time hiding-

There was a woman on the ledge of the building diagonal from him.

Batman's throat went dry. Was she attempting to kill herself? It wasn't uncommon in Gotham. She was on the ledge, looking over the sides. The roof she was on was taller than his and both the angle and the physics to catch her were risky. But as he watched the feminine silhouette, he began picking up odd details.

For one, she had some sort of points on her head. Second, she wasn't walking around on the edge; she was frolicking on it, as if balancing for her life was a game. And third, he recognized the building as the home of one of the snobby colleagues he frequently invited to benefits. Their penthouse sat atop the upscale apartments. And now there was a woman atop the roof of the penthouse on the upscale apartments. In an area where burglaries were happening nearly every night. Something was very wrong.

And then she jumped.

His breath hitched anyway and he readied himself to glide and attempt to catch her, but in an instant, the woman released something that caught the flag pole attached to the next building over and as the crack of a whip reached his ears, she swung around the corner out of sight. Batman leapt from his perch, shooting his grappling gun and swinging in pursuit of the thief that was finally within his grasp.

Once around the corner, he watched his prey clawing up the side of the wall before disappearing onto the roof. He quickly reeled himself to the fire escape of the neighboring building. He was going to shadow her and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Keeping a healthy—yet manageable—distance from her, Batman kept to the shadows and made sure she was in his sight the whole time. This was a fast, slippery woman and he wasn't going to let her take a sharp turn and lose him. As she dropped to an alleyway, Bruce swung across the way and watched her movements carefully from above.

Out of a pouch on her belt, she retrieved an item that he figured was likely the necklace of the victim's wife. Bruce had seen it before and it was a very expensive, diamond encrusted piece of jewelry. The thief fondled it a bit before pulling out another item, this one piquing Batman's interest more. A gem, a big one, which sparkled so much he could nearly see it from his distance. She held the light green treasure up to the moonlight and examined its beauty.

He moved his foot slightly, a subconscious adjustment that sent a few tiny pieces of gravel to the ground. The woman below froze. She stood still for a moment and Batman wondered if perhaps she hadn't noticed. Moments later when she bolted, he knew otherwise. She quickly stuffed her prizes away as she dashed down the street, then pounced through an alley and sunk her claws into the brick of the nearest wall.

She was halfway up the side when she looked up and saw his menacing form looming over her. Quick as lightning she sprang off the wall and caught the ledge of the neighboring window, using it as leverage to send her frame flying into the shadows of the deep alley below. She had a grace and strength that even Batman had to respect—although her current actions helped him to quell the feeling. He never even heard her land but he knew she was moving fast.

As she darted around several buildings she tried to find one she'd have enough time to climb, but the Bat was mirroring her. If she could get off the ground she knew she could lose him. Finally, she took a sharp turn and hid in the shadows under a fire escape. Figuring the many levels and darkness would conceal her; it was also a good spot that had the moonlight filtering in from behind. She tried to get her ragged breath under control as she watched for the pointy-eared shadow. Silence. There was nothing but silence for what seemed to be forever. Her feminine intuition told her it was not safe to come out, but then she hadn't seen nor heard the man chasing her in—

Leaping and sticking her claws into the platform above her, the woman's lithe form dodged a Batarang that otherwise would have stuck her in the leg. Dropping just as quickly down and rolling out from under her shelter, she dodged three more. Each would have dealt non-lethal blows she figured, but temporarily crippling ones. They weren't difficult for her to dodge. And she imagined he knew that by now. She caught a glint from the corner of her eye and flipped backwards to avoid two more sharp, flying objects. A smirk crossed her lips. "Instead of trying to move me with knives, why don't you come out and do it with your hands?"

"I doubt you'll enjoy that."

In an instant, his boot nearly connected with her, but being the spring that she was, the woman dodged the body blow. Curling her fingers around her whip, she let the length snap and catch his leg. Lunging further back away from him, she used her momentum to pull his leg with her and out from under him. She heard a small grunt before her whip sent her flying forward as he gave it a return yank. Batman quickly wound up more of her whip and sliced it with his arm blades, rendering the weapon useless. Her eyes widened in horror. "That one was my favorite, thank you very much!" She flipped around, swinging her leg towards him, which he dodged, but he couldn't miss the quick claws that slashed his chest as she gracefully came back up in one swift movement. With a hiss through clenched teeth, he caught her arm and swung her up, around, and into the brick wall behind them. He could hear the breath knocked from her body and she momentarily went limp, allowing him to pin her arms to the wall.

"Is that any way to treat a lady?"

"Is that any way for a 'lady' to behave?"

A wheezed chuckle escaped her and she tilted her head to look at him. Normally, when crooks looked Batman in the face, he saw fear in their eyes. He struck them with self doubt, a doubt that they could do nothing other than surrender. When this woman looked him in the eyes, however, her lids fell half closed over her soft green orbs and she let out something he'd equate to a purr. Batman tensed. She nonchalantly looked him over and made sure her approval of him was known with a series of hums. His stomach knotted itself. "If I had known the infamous Batman was such a perfect specimen I might have let you catch me." His heart did a few back flips.

He tried to keep his eyes on her face—her oh-so-close, oh-so-lovely face—and not let his gaze wander—wander down to the skin-tight suit that left little to the imagination or to the hips that could make a man cry or to the legs that were a mile long—no. He wouldn't let her do that to him. He had gashes from this woman. She was a criminal and she had been a thorn in his side for too long already…

But he had the sinking feeling that thorn was only going to dig itself in deeper.

"Where are they?" His voice didn't come out as threatening as he'd wanted—not even _nearly_ threatening. Her leg lightly brushed the side of his. "Where are… what?" She looked so innocent. Don't fall for it. He pushed her harder into the wall, tightened his grip, made her wince. "I won't ask again." There was half the growl that sent most felons running. She arched her back, brushing her body against his and shooting fire through his veins. "The Bat likes it rough, hmm? Whatever you want, honey, I'm easy—" He squeezed her arms tightly to make his point.

She groaned some, "Alright, Mr. All-Business-All-The-Time. They're in my pocket." He looked down at her frame for 'the pocket.' He caught an eyeful of her ample chest, a glimpse of her thin waist and a look at the display when she arched herself into him again, but didn't see the elusive pocket. Her belt had several and in the dark he couldn't see how many others she was concealing on her perfect form. "_Which_ pocket?" Batman snapped, frustration bubbling up from so many places. Mostly south of his belt. The infuriating woman hummed softly. "Sounds like someone could use a little stress relief." A throaty chuckle vibrated from her before she slid her leg up and hitched it around his hip, "The one on my belt, this side." Now, there were at least three she could have been talking about, but he wasn't about to prod any further. Partially because it was pointless, she was a master at playing coy, and partially because it was an excuse to put his hands on her.

Batman shifted his grasp on her, grabbing both her wrists in one of his large hands and pinning them above her head. She made a small noise of delight that he chose to ignore altogether. His free hand now migrated down and brushed over the belt that hung on her hip. His fingers might have—coincidentally, of course- brushed her thigh or her hipbone, but what had to be done just had to be done. Trailing from one pocket to the next, he finally found the necklace and gem, tucked in the one furthest on that side, and he quickly plucked them from her and tucked them away in his own belt.

"I think you enjoyed that." She mused, a breathy quality in her voice. He snarled at her to which her smile only got bigger. "You think highly of yourself." His husky voice rumbled. "Mmm, partially. I mean, what's not to love?" The giggle that followed was almost melodic, "But I think the other part is that you _like_ me. Do you _like_ me, Batman?" Her question sounded so childish, so sweet, so silly, yet he still felt flustered. "I'd _like_ to see you behind bars." He managed.

She leaned her head up some, invading even more of his space than before. Only now he had no reason to allow it. "So is that what happens now? Are you gonna cuff me?" The last two words came out on a whisper and she brushed her full lips against his jaw. His insides shuddered. "Gonna take me in?" She moved a little higher and ghosted her lips over his. He forced himself not to swallow. She couldn't see any more weakness than she already had. And he couldn't let the heat flaring through his body get any worse. "Or do you have something else in mind?" She then leaned in for the kill, and she halfway succeeded in getting a kiss out of The Bat, her lips brushing against his for a half a moment before he released her completely and stepped back.

In the time it took for her to catch herself, bracing back against the wall and blinking away her daze, he was gone. She pouted and huffed before the sound of sirens caught her attention and she bolted down one of the other alleys and escaped.

He watched her. From the shadows nearby, Batman watched her take off and vanish. He'd let her go. He'd caved and he'd let her go. Bruce grappled to the top of a building and took a few moments to gain some composure. He had busted female criminals before. He'd busted attractive (albeit crazy) female criminals before. Take Poison Ivy for example, she was beautiful and she flaunted what she's got on a regular basis. But none had the effect this one did. None of them frazzled his mind and body the way this woman did, and she was without pheromone control. The outright magnetism he felt to her in those few minutes was more than he'd felt with just about any of the women he'd _dated_, much less apprehended. Running his hand over the exposed portion of his face, he took a few breaths.

"For the record," He quickly spun around, "You can call me Catwoman." She bit her lip lightly as she gave him another once over with her eyes and winked before leaping off to the next roof. His eyes narrowed and his heart made its way back down from where it had nearly jumped out of his throat. Bruce had no intention of chasing her down, not in the state he was in. He cursed himself for it, but he knew it was time to return the stolen goods and head back home. He would get her next time.


	2. So Close And Yet So Far

2.

Selina hadn't prowled in over a week. As much fun as she had with Batman upon their first encounter, she was still a little too sore from their scuffle. One wrong brush with a window or one wrong twist around a corner and she'd give herself away with a wince. But just as the pain hindered her, it made her stomach flutter, as thinking of it forced her mind back to the thought of the powerful man that pinned her to a wall. The massive hands that put a vice-like grip on both of her wrists. The same hands that attempted to discreetly feel her up but really didn't fool her. She only wished she'd gotten to return the favor.

She had purposefully taken extra precautions all these weeks to avoid this so-called Batman, hearing he was a tower of a man that had no heart and no mercy for criminals. True, he didn't kill, but sometimes that was worse when you were facing prison or The Asylum. She'd heard so many things, but she didn't expect the tall, muscular, handsome (from the nose down at least), intense man that she encountered. Of course, he took back the prizes she'd planned so carefully for and worked so hard to attain, but luckily for him she'd had quite a bit of fun. That softened the loss.

Her slinky black cat strolled up to her legs and brushed against them, giving a chirp to her as it did so. Selina stroked Isis' soft fur and scratched its ear before she finished dressing and started thinking about her plans for the next heist. The museum had a new exhibit coming in and there was a lovely little statue that she had to have. It was the silhouette of an elongated cat, made out of gold with some sapphire accents for a collar. Simply to die for. Preferably she wouldn't though, if she planned well enough.

Through her day of errands, she was mentally working on every loose end she could think of and naturally her mind slipped back to the one most likely to foil her. The one who also made her knees weak. Ending up in the nicer part of town, she got a coffee and sat outside, contemplating what to do about her pointy-eared problem. He was fun to tease, even more fun to touch, but Selina had priorities and snatching that golden cat was at the top of her list.

As Selina sipped her frothy beverage, she heard the sound of heels clicking rapidly along the pavement, "Ms. Kyle!" And she cast her gaze up to see Maven quickly trotting to her. "Selina!" She panted slightly as she reached her boss' table. "I'm so glad I found you! Selina, you got that invite to the gala!" The secretary panted as she brushed a few strands of hair from her face. Selina's eyes widened.

For weeks she'd been eyeing this gala. The socialite throwing it had connections to every important snob in Gotham, thus making this benefit a room full of targets for Catwoman and an easy way in with them. Plus, part of the donations went towards saving large cats from circuses, which intrigued her further. She'd schmoozed the aristocrat a few times in attempts to get an invite to his gala, but apparently he wasn't sure he wanted her there—or he hadn't remembered her—until now.

Selina bit her lip in thought. She was rarely caught unprepared, but this was one of the times. She wanted to make an impression, leave jaws hanging open in her wake and draw in some prey like a lioness lurking quietly in the grass. However, she had exhausted her current wardrobe for such an event. That was quite problematic indeed.

"Maven," The red head straightened her glasses and gave Selina her attention, "Are you up for some shopping?" Selina's lips quirked into a small smile and her assistant quickly matched the expression. "Always, Ms. Kyle."

* * *

Selina was in the dressing room, dresses strewn about everywhere, all shapes, sizes and colors—but more importantly, all failures. Maven let out a sigh as she heaved another arm-full of gowns over the door. "Do any of these look okay?" Selina briefly browsed through and slung half back over. "These are too dark, not flashy enough and definitely not tasteful. I don't want to display _all_ my goods." Maven could have pulled her bun out of her head. "Alright, I'll go put these back. Try those on and let me know about them when I come back."

Selina began trying on the new batch of gowns: tossing aside a yellow one that washed her out, disregarding a blue one that looked like a prom dress and not even bothering with a pink one she decided was too girlish. When Maven returned, Selina slung the rejects over the door. "None of those either?" "Nope." Another sigh greeted Selina. "Well, this is about the last one I could find. After this, perhaps you should reconsider your own wardrobe?" Maven slipped a purple dress over as she spoke and set the batch returned to her aside. There was a lengthy silence before Selina stepped out and Maven's eyes widened.

The dress was a deep purple- dark yet vibrant—that made Selina's eyes pop. The snug fit hugged every curve of her body until her mid-thigh, where it gradually flowed away from her and reached to the floor. The strapless top framed her smooth, pale shoulders to perfection. "Wow, you look incredible!" Maven squealed. The compliment was met with a sly grin. "Why thank you." Wringing her hands, the assistant gave a hopeful smile. "So what do you think? Is that the one?"

"Oh yes. This is the one."

* * *

It was as if eyes naturally gravitated towards her, be it the color she wore, the confidence she exuded, or just her natural beauty. The men especially noticed her presence as she glided across the floor and got a glass of champagne from one of the waiters. Selina and her faithful assistant had arrived fashionably late.

"Remember Maven, if you get into any conversations with someone you think is important or useful to us, come get me immediately." Selina murmured. Maven gave a nod and split off from her boss, disappearing into the crowd. Selina first wanted to thank her gracious host, and then she would begin making her way around. Spotting the older man, she sauntered over and gave a smile when his eyes widened and scanned her.

"Hello Mr. Samuel, it's good to see you. Your benefit is wonderful, I couldn't be happier to support your cause." Her words seemed mostly lost on the man and the small group around him as they were busy ogling her, but he did manage some pleasantries. "Oh—uh—Yes, Ms. Kyle. Welcome. It's—um—_Very_ nice to see you." And he grinned. Selina hummed in reply and then, seeing as everyone's jaws were on the floor, she began introducing herself to the others. They seemed nice enough, a couple had some items that interested her like a watch with a solid gold face. Surely there were goods to be gotten here.

As Selina chatted for a while, burning names into her memory any little way she could, she felt a hand clasp her arm. "Ms. Kyle, I think I have someone you'll want to talk to." Maven muttered softly to her. "Who is it? There's… Quite a bit of potential here." Selina responded with the same tone. Maven's hand tightened its grasp. "Trust me, mine's better." Selina's eyebrow rose up before she politely took herself out of the conversation. Quickly, Maven pulled her through the crowd, weaving back toward a corner with a group of people standing in it. And Selina's eyes became saucers when she saw Bruce Wayne among them.

Never would she have guessed that she'd have a shot at Bruce Wayne. In her dreams, Selina made off with half the prizes surely hidden in Wayne Manor, but she wouldn't have thought she'd get a chance to make that come true.

Even from the side Selina not only knew his face, she knew he looked positively bored to death with the current conversation and didn't even seem to be a part of it. Perhaps that was by design, because as Maven steered her into a vacant spot beside him, the droning chatter was already mind-numbing after only a few seconds.

At first he didn't even notice her presence- his mind had drifted off—but ever the wallflower, Maven piped up almost immediately. "Mr. Wayne, this is my boss Selina Kyle, the one I was telling you about." He did a double-take. It was slight, but present. And rather than straying back to the current group conversation, his eyes stayed locked on Selina's. A smile graced his face as he gave her his attention. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kyle. I'm—" "Bruce Wayne." Selina purred, "I don't believe there's a soul on Earth who doesn't know you, Mr. Wayne." She flashed a playful smirk. A deep chuckle vibrated from his chest. "Yes, well, we all have our cross to bear."

Selina took a sip of her champagne and observed his body language for a moment. There was the classic playboy tone in his voice, but he wasn't showing any of the classic traits that playboys exhibited. He wasn't encroaching on her personal space, he wasn't putting his hands on her, the man's eyes had barely left hers much less leered at her. It was unusual indeed, but judging by the icy blues looking back at her, his mind was far from innocent.

"Your assistant tells me you support animal rights pretty strongly." Bruce stated, snapping her from her thoughts. "Very strongly." Selina corrected. "That's about the only reason I wanted to come to this so badly, in truth. I have no connection to most these people." She gave a gesture of her hand before her gaze sharpened on him. "What about you, Mr. Wayne? What do you support?" He took a breath and slid one hand into his pocket. "Well, Wayne Enterprises supports tons of different charities and non-profits. If you want to know about something in particular…"

"I don't mean your company, what do _you_ support?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her and paused. "I will fund anything to better Gotham, Ms. Kyle, but I especially put my money towards protecting the cops in this city." He stated, empty of humor. Selina watched him for a few moments, letting his words hang in the air before she showed a warm smile. "A noble cause." She took a sip of her drink.

Bruce's shoulders loosened, he no longer felt on the defense. But oh he should. He was prey in more ways than one. Selina not-so-subtly let her eyes scan him, taking in his perfectly imperfect hair, broad shoulders, narrow hips and long legs. The tux hid most of his frame, but Selina had a feeling he was packing more muscle than it appeared. When her eyes came back to his face, he had a handsome smirk sprawled across his lips. "Enjoying yourself?" "_Well, you're no Batman" _She thought,but she played coy. "Me? I was just taking in the view Mr. Wayne."

"Bruce."

Selina tilted her head slightly. "Ready to ditch formality, then?" She placed her glass on a passing waiter's tray and crossed her arms. "Can't get rid of it soon enough." Selina could see why his smile made girls weak in the knees. His other hand found his pocket and his stance eased into a slouch. Selina was just about to retort when a familiar hand tapped her shoulder. "Ms. Kyle?" Maven's voice hesitantly squeaked. Selina turned to her assistant, "Ma'am, there are a few people who are insisting on speaking with you." The red head gave a look of apology.

Selina sighed and turned back to her company who waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry, I know how it is." Bruce shrugged. Selina looked apologetically at him. "Maven," She turned, "Tell them I'll be right over, please." The assistant gave a nod and dutifully trotted off. "I'm sorry, I was enjoying our chat." Selina smoothed back a few fly-aways. "Well, how about we continue it? Say… Saturday? Seven?" Oh, he was smooth, and she knew he knew it. "As long as we're not out too long, a girl has her curfew to think of." She said with false innocence. Bruce chuckled, "I wouldn't dream of getting you in trouble." And Selina laughed before she spun and started off. "Something tells me you're lying, Bruce."

* * *

The night had been painfully boring after that, although she had locked gazes with Bruce a couple times, she hadn't talked to him again. And every other man couldn't form a coherent sentence. She was so glad to be back in her car with Maven and on the way home. "So did you give Mr. Wayne your number?" Came the question about halfway through the drive. Selina giggled, "Maven, he's Bruce Wayne. If he wants my number, he can find it. Besides, playing hard-to-get is fun." She sighed and looked out the window over the Gotham water. "Do you think Batman is out tonight?" She said softly, mostly to herself. Maven gave a sideways look before grinning. "Boy, he sure is under your skin, huh?" Selina guffawed in return. "I suppose I have no time to think about that, anyways."

As the pair returned to the apartment, Selina ruffled her hair and released a breath of relaxation. Pushing the night out of her mind, she focused on the jobs at hand. Selina changed, pet and fed her cats, and sat down at her coffee table. She was now working two heists at once and she needed a course of action. The museum was her primary focus.

She had memorized the layout of the building, but she still needed to work out what security there would be and how she would inevitably need to deal with Batman. She began writing down everything she could think of that would pose a problem and then mentally placed each problem where it belonged. The case was probably weight sensitive, there were probably lasers, the side windows were probably wired- but not the ones on the top of the roof in the lobby. At least, nothing she couldn't easily deactivate prior… But Batman. He was her one variable that was unpredictable. And what was worse, she wasn't sure if she'd mind him catching her. So long as she got away with her treasure, a little meet up with him might not be a bad idea.

And then there was the Bruce Wayne plan. Much harder to plan than her other job but easier to pull off. She would have to be charming, she would more than likely have to sleep with him, and she would need to be sure she wasn't just the flavor of the week. Selina needed access to his home, but being a one night stand wasn't going to be enough. She needed time. She needed to learn his habits and his security, then plan her strike. And she needed to let Catwoman hit a few more homes before stealing from Wayne Manor to be sure she didn't seem suspicious.

Yes, Selina had her plans and she was ready to execute them.

* * *

It was the night. Catwoman was positioned on top of the glass ceiling of the museum, outer alarm deactivated, ready to make her move. She looked around herself one more time, making sure she wasn't being watched or followed, before she dug a claw into the glass and carefully cut out a hole for herself. Selina caught the circle before it could fall and set it off to the side. Using her whip to catch a banner pole on the wall and swing, she landed silently, with ease. Catwoman was in.

Darting through the hallways, she dodged the guards on duty and the alarm triggers, her timing nothing short of perfection. Slashing the lock on the gated door to the exhibit, Catwoman slunk through the entrance and carefully reached into a pouch on her belt, pulling out a spray and releasing a fine mist that revealed the ever conventional lasers. With a smirk, she began weaving through the beams, twisting her body this way and that, occasionally flipping over one or two before gracefully landing beside the display case. Unsheathing her claws, Catwoman sliced a hole in the glass and carefully eyed the artifact. It was as lovely as ever. Pulling a small bag from a pocket on her belt she gradually swapped the two out Indiana Jones style, taking the treasure and leaving a bag of rocks in its place. After carefully packing the golden cat away, Selina made her way back out of the room and slipped into the lobby where she escaped.

Once on top of the roof, Selina bolted across the glass and leapt to a neighboring building. She had learned not to doddle along from last time, she needed to put as much space between her and the museum as she could. The worthless guards were going to make their rounds, see the disruption and alert the police. And the police would attract Batman.

Catwoman had made it several blocks away before she stopped to collect her thoughts and maybe take a look back at her work. She could already hear the sirens below, wailing away as the cops rushed to the defiled museum. Taking a deep breath, Catwoman smiled and giggled at her success.

"Someone's awfully chipper."

The smooth voice behind her sank her stomach but made her heart soar. Such an odd combination of feelings could only be brought about by one man. Catwoman spun around and saw Batman standing there, his form nothing short of threatening but his demeanor somewhat lighthearted. Perhaps she had made an impact on him the way he had on her. "I have plenty to be chipper about. Besides, I wasn't sure I was going to see you." She drawled, keeping calm and cool. "As long as you're breaking the law, I'll never be too far behind, Catwoman."

He said her name.

Well, he said her alias, but still. He truly remembered her and it was more personal because of that. "How do you know I've broken the law, Batman? Perhaps I was just frolicking around hoping to find you?" Selina made sure she looked as innocent as possible as she began slowly strolling on the rooftop, Batman mirroring her steps and not letting her close. "Charming, but something tells me that hoard of police sirens isn't just because you were out stalking me." His rich as honey voice actually had humor in it. He was in a better mood than their first meeting.

Catwoman smiled and gazed at him from under her lashes. "Is it tough always being a know-it-all?" She could have sworn she heard a deep chuckle. "Not as tough as you would think." Batman paused, stopping his stride when he was blocking the side closest to the next building. Catwoman stopped across from him and sweetly clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head. "So you've been looking for me too? You got here mighty fast, maybe I'm not the stalker." "Of course I've been looking for you, I—" "Need to take me to jail?" She earned silence in response, and silence was consent.

Lightly kicking her foot back and forth, Catwoman stuck out her bottom lip. "But I like our get-togethers." She slunk closer and stood at an arm's length from him. "How are we going to deal with our complicated little relationship if I'm locked away somewhere?" And she slightly twisted from side to side girlishly. "I prefer to keep things simple. You steal, I stop you." He grumbled. Selina noticed his jaw clench, his shoulders tense and his stance widen. She had him on edge already. Excellent.

Catwoman sighed and let her head hang for a moment. "My dear Batman, that's the most boring sort of way to go about things." She extended her arm out and watched him tense as she lightly dragged her finger around the bat on his chest. "Don't you ever want to take a walk on the wild side?" Catwoman flattened her hand on the broad expanse of muscle and slid it up to his shoulder, "Live a little?" As her fingers began to brush over the nape of his neck, Batman caught her arm and gently removed it from himself, although he didn't release her.

His grip wasn't punishing as it had been though, his thumb even slid back and forth—oh so slightly—against the underside of her wrist. Shivers shot down Selina's spine. "I can't, Catwoman." She could feel the regret, the apology in his voice. He wanted to explore whatever it was they had going between them, but he simply couldn't. Probably for his own sake. Catwoman placed a soft kiss on his knuckles, before she tore herself from his grasp, hopped onto his shoulder and sprang across to the next roof.

Even dazed he whipped around fast as lightning, the glare returning to his eyes. "If you change your mind, I'd be happy to show you the wild side." She blew him a kiss and winked before speeding across the building with his footsteps hot on her heels. The chase was on.

And when Selina arrived home with her precious treasure in hand, she felt the exhilaration that she hadn't experienced in too long. She got her prize and outran Batman. It had been an extremely productive night.


	3. Love-Square Kind Of?

3.

It was Saturday afternoon and rather than be out doing something fun or productive, Bruce was busy mulling over the latest encounter with Catwoman. Her most recent victim had a Wayne security system in place and she had blown through it like tissue paper. That woman had disarmed one of his security systems and escaped him with the goods. Again. With a groan, he ran one hand through his hair. This was a bigger problem than he had thought. Not only was he wildly attracted to a criminal—and treated her differently because of it- but she was a far better burglar than most any he had encountered.

_And she broke through one of his security systems._

It was driving him insane, his life as Batman was so clear, so transparent. Bruce had never thought about letting someone go just because they were smart or had a sense of humor or had a great rear. He'd certainly never thought about forgetting someone was a thief for a while just so he could enjoy their company. There had been little playful banter as he had chased her through the streets of Gotham, she only asked him if he was "done being a stick in the mud yet?" Oh, he wished he could.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps descending the stairs behind him. "Any leads on where to find your feline fanatical friend, sir?" Alfred asked dryly. "Nothing yet." Came the sigh. Alfred's eyebrow arched as he observed the screen Bruce currently had pulled up. "May I ask what it is I'm looking at?" The picture was from the security system she had cracked. Having access to the recordings it made, Bruce had been able to pull a picture of her… Well, of the silhouette of the left ear on her suit, in the back corner window, out of focus.

"The only evidence I have that she was even there, aside from the missing jewelry. It's difficult to tell which robberies are hers until she's already gone, she knows just about every system out there and how to beat it." Bruce leaned against the armrest as he played the rest of the footage, which lasted only a few moments longer before cutting out. It irked him to no end. "It's no wonder she's been so difficult to apprehend." The butler remarked.

He stood, eying the video along with Bruce one more time before he spun and faced the disgruntled man. "Well, I did wish to remind Bruce Wayne of his date with Ms. Kyle tonight." Bruce's head swiveled around. "That's tonight?" Alfred nodded. "However, if Batman is too busy, I could easily call Ms. Kyle and ask to reschedule." He offered. Bruce smiled. "That won't be necessary, Alfred." He stood to full height and strode off toward the elevator with his trusty butler right behind him.

* * *

Fixing his cufflink, Bruce watched his reflection. He could see emotions written all over his face. Of course, he usually looked stressed on some level. He usually saw frustration in himself from one thing or another. Occasionally he'd see an anger in his face, saved for the anniversary of his parents death or the time that kid tried to mug Alfred and Batman made him pay dearly for it, but mostly the big things.

Currently, when Bruce was looking at his reflection, he saw… Giddiness. He had been thinking about that blasted Catwoman so much lately, he was starting to look like a teenager who couldn't get the cute girl in class off his mind. Releasing a sigh, Bruce looked away from the mirror and smoothed out his tie. He just prayed he could hide it, and if not then he hoped his date would mistake the emotion as being directed toward her. It wouldn't do him any good to continue dwelling on this, especially not with a lovely lady like Ms. Kyle.

_That_ drew his mind elsewhere. Bruce had gotten good at reading people over the years—freakishly good, if he did say so himself—and what he got from Selina was interesting. She clearly wasn't a ditz. She may play dumb and innocent now and again, but she knew exactly what she was doing at all times. And so far he didn't get the feeling she was out to jump in his wallet or his pants, which was a slightly refreshing change of pace. Of course, that could change, it certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility that such a driven woman had one or the other in her sights, but Bruce preferred not to dwell on that. It was just going to be a nice evening with an intriguing woman.

* * *

Her voice had rang from inside, telling him she'd be "one second." It gave Bruce time to examine the hallway of the apartment building she lived in—smaller than he'd have thought- and it gave him time to make sure his shoes were shiny- one had gotten scuffed somewhere… But none of that mattered when the door swung open and Selina Kyle emerged.

He quickly reeled in his gaze from the sleek, black dress that did absolutely wonderful things for her figure and instead focused on her face which was equally as beautiful. "Hello Bruce. Handsome as ever, I see." She purred. Bruce smiled. "Hello Selina. You're looking particularly stunning." He received a wave of her hand and a huff. "Shall we?" She stepped out and shut the door behind her. "We shall." He offered her his arm in true gentlemanly fashion and escorted her out to his car.

It was one of the joys in Bruce's life, hearing the reaction from others to his vehicles. Of course, most the time the reactions were to the Batmobile, and were very rarely pleased, but it was fun none the less. And Selina's reaction to one of his precious sports cars was no exception. Once in, she looked around the console and felt the seats, taking in the interior. "Like it?" He snapped her from her thought. "Very much," She replied with a grin. His only reply was a chuckle.

* * *

The pair had been lead in and to a table, where they had placed their orders. Alfred had been kind enough to make the reservation and chose somewhere that was not only known for their food, but also had slow dancing. Selina seemed to notice right away. "I'll assume it's no coincidence that you picked the one place that has dancing?" Bruce took a drink as his eyes glanced over to the large space where couples swayed together. "Oh, is that here? My, would you look at that." He tilted his head slightly and smiled. Selina laughed and sat back in her chair.

"You certainly do know your way around charming a lady."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was one, I assure you."

"Well thank you, Ms. Kyle."

"You're very welcome, Mr. Wayne."

Soon, the waiter brought their dinner, and after a few moments of eating, Selina piped up. "So, there are a number of rumors about you, Bruce." He paused almost mid-swallow and focused his attention on her. After making sure he wasn't choking, Bruce sat up a bit straighter in his seat. "I… would say don't believe everything you hear?" He offered. Selina was at ease, so she probably wasn't going to hammer him with anything worthy of the press. Probably. "Obviously not, but when one hears that you're friends with the infamous Batman, one can't help but be curious." And she sipped her wine.

Bruce attempted to deflect, "And where on Earth did you hear that?" Selina took another bite or two before shrugging. "You know, you hear things in passing." He rewarded her with a soft hum before attempting to break this particular conversation by returning his attention to his dinner. No such luck. "Do you know him?" He now knew this wasn't going away. "I wouldn't say that. I've met him, but… Why the interest?" He cocked an eyebrow at her and watched the woman lean forward some. "What's not to be interested in?" She had a smirk on her face that told him she still wasn't satisfied with his answers. Bruce sighed. "He's helped me once or twice when someone's broken into my company, or at least tried to, but really it's nothing special." Selina's gaze pinned him for a few moments longer before she smiled and released him by returning to her meal. Thank God.

Once they'd finished and chatted a bit more, Bruce stood. "What's say we go break it in?" He tilted his head toward the dance floor and offered her his hand. "If you'd do me the honor." Selina smiled and nodded before taking his outreached hand and letting him guide her. Once out far enough, he gently swung her around and pressed her body to his with a hand on her lower back. Her free hand slid up to his shoulder as he started the slow sway that she followed.

"I'll warn you now," Selina said in a hushed tone, "You should probably watch your toes. I've never been very good at this."

Bruce chuckled. "Practice makes perfect."

"Well I doubt that, but we'll see."

As the current song went on, Selina seemed to warm up to both him and the idea of dancing with him. She let her hand wander to the back of his neck, and rested her cheek on his shoulder. Of course, Bruce didn't mind either of these. He took a deep breath, her sweet scent filling his lungs, and he slowly ran his hand up and down the slope of her back. A twinge of pride filled him when he felt her shiver ever so slightly.

It was far more comfortable than Bruce would have guessed. The fact that he actually felt at ease even a bit was fairly shocking in and of itself, but there was even more to it than that. He didn't want to let her go. And for the first time in who-could-even-know-how-long, he didn't have a certain feline on the brain. While they hadn't known each other terribly long, there was something very natural in their interactions. It was nice to have a taste of that.

She stirred finally, pulling back some from his shoulder and looking him in the eyes. Her fingertips lightly played with some of his hair as she looked at him from under her lashes. The muscles in Bruce's stomach tensed a little. He got a tiny bit closer, allowing the tip of his nose to brush against hers. Selina didn't back away. Bruce started to dip his head and—

Winced.

His frame jolted and he winced as the smaller, pointier foot dug into the top of his. As a result, Selina gasped slightly and looked down, quickly shifting her weight and removing herself from his crushed toes. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" She shrieked. Bruce shook his head. "I'm fine, don't worry about it." "I told you this would happen." He couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, yes you did."

* * *

Their night had come to an end as Bruce pulled the car into its rightful spot. He had dropped Selina off at her apartment, where she'd given him a kiss on the cheek and told him what a great time she had. He could honestly echo her sentiments. She'd told him to call her, how she'd love to go out again. And he could honestly say he would, because he'd like that as well. Now as he slid out of his car and loosened his tie, Alfred was quickly there to greet him. "Have a good time, sir?" He asked, taking Bruce's jacket and tie before following him upstairs. Bruce smiled. "Surprisingly so."

* * *

A few nights later Batman sped across buildings, silently gliding through the shadows as he patrolled the city. He grappled up and over onto a gargoyle, where the duo observed the streets. He might've been even more silent than his concrete friend—and certainly more discreet—as his gaze scanned over Gotham, searching for any sign of trouble. It wasn't what he saw, but what he vaguely heard that drew his attention. Somewhere fairly close, a woman's scream tore through the night air and echoed for help.

Help is what she was about to receive.

The Dark Knight dove, thrusting with powerful legs off the stone guardian and quickly grappling a few buildings over and swinging to the top where he listened. He was closer. The screams were being smothered, but he could still hear her whimpering. Batman looked over both edges, and followed the noise until he finally saw a woman being pinned to the wall of an alley, two men holding her still, one clamping his hand over her mouth and another scavenging through her purse.

Just as he took a step, prepared to swoop down, he was beat to the punch. Literally. The crack of a whip snapped through the air and struck the thug digging in the purse clean across the face, causing a girlish squeal of pain. He screeched something obscene before a swift kick to the head put him out of commission for the time being.

It was hard to tell from his angle, but Batman could make out the familiar feminine figure that strolled closer to the other assailants. Her voice left no room for doubt. "Little weaklings that have nothing better to do than attack women?" Catwoman said sharply. While one charged her, another hit their victim in the back of the head and knocked her out, allowing his partner to toss her over into a pile of boxes. Catwoman dodged a few blows before flipping and cracking the thug with her heel. He stumbled, dazed, while the other two came at her.

She landed an elbow to one's cheek and a foot to the other's gut before she surveyed her work. Groans filled the night air as she strode passed them and looked toward the woman who'd been tossed aside like garbage. "I hope we learned something tonight." Her voice called back over her shoulder. She could hear a set of footsteps retreating out of the alley as she scooped up the purse and began helping its owner out of the pile of cardboard. The woman was dazed, aching, but okay. Catwoman was gentle in helping her before the woman looked behind her and shrieked.

The retreating foe had gone and gotten four more. Assumedly, they were friends or gang members. With pieces of pipe and a bat. Catwoman tensed. She quickly ushered the victim out the other end of the alley, told her to run, told her not to come back. The gash across the face of the thug leading them said it was the whipped one. He made a snide remark about her; Catwoman apparently barely heard it as she readied herself. Batman watched carefully, not willing to let things get too far out of hand.

The thugs rushed her, one of the other formerly wounded offenders joining in. She whipped one, caught him around the neck, and pulled him off-balance before kicking him back into another. Freeing her whip, she dodged an attempted blow and slashed his arm with her claws before whipping the bat and yanking it away from him. Catwoman was making good progress until a wild swing of a pipe cracked into her side and knocked her down. She was quickly pinned to the ground, though she thrashed and fought to get free. "I hope _you_ learn something, kitty." One sneered as he approached her.

The shadow rapidly descending upon the alley halted them all, and when Batman came barreling down onto two of the assailants, using their bodies as cushion for his own landing, the safety they had in numbers suddenly felt far inferior.

There was no talk, no banter, not even a "how do you do," before he began thinning the herd. His punches landed cleanly, quickly knocking one thug out and leaving him with a dislocated jaw, while another was lifted right off his feet by the gloved uppercut to his stomach. When a grunt was fool enough to get up and take a run at him, Batman caught his arm and twisted, wrenching a wail out of the man before heaving him into a wall and rendering him inert in the fight. Spinning around, The Dark Knight faced the remaining four, two who were pinning a grinning Catwoman and two who looked as if they might wet themselves. He was about to give them every right to do so.

Before they could decide whether to run or fight, he made the choice for them. In the blink of an eye, three Batarangs were sent whirling after them, sticking one in the shoulder and another twice in the leg. They squealed before he socked one in the nose, the cartilage giving way to his powerful knuckles, and swept the feet out from under the miscreant with the leg wounds. They both had enough brains to stay down. As he turned to face the remaining foes, they were each backing away from Catwoman, who lounged on the pavement like she owned it.

"L-look man, we didn't mean anything. W-we weren't even gonna d-do anything to her or th-that other l-lady!"

"As I said," Catwoman purred, "You're weaklings who have nothing better to do than pick on women."

"Maybe we should see what happens against someone their own size." Batman growled. Catwoman gave a little squeal of delight and clapped her hands together. "Ooh! I'd love to see that! Start with the one on the left, he squeezed my arm a little too tight."

The men in the alley ran screaming like little girls. Luckily, the sound of sirens probably meant they were cut off. Batman turned and helped Catwoman up, before locking an arm around her waist and grappling them off to a rooftop before the cops arrived.

He loosened his grip on her once they were safely on solid footing, but he didn't release her. She didn't seem to want to be released. "I didn't expect to see you doing something _valiant_." He stated with a playful smirk. Catwoman chuckled and slid her hands over his biceps to his shoulders. "I didn't expect you to swoop in and steal my thunder." He gave a little shrug in response. Catwoman reached up and gently traced the line of his jaw. "Thank you. That could have been—" "You don't ever have to thank me. Ever." The tone in his voice told her he was serious, but she tilted her head slightly. "I feel like I should thank you a little bit." And before he could say anything, she pulled him down and kissed him.

At first, Batman didn't respond- mostly because he wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't kiss her back, but he didn't push her away either. Her full, supple lips were persistent though. She was unrelenting on him, and was quickly shredding his resolve. However, eventually she needed a breath. As she started pulling back, her teeth lightly grazed across his bottom lip, giving it a gentle tug before looking up at him with a cocked eyebrow. He was somewhat mesmerized when she finally pulled away, and as he looked into her eyes he knew he had a decision. What he should have done was step away from her, tell her it could never be, turn his back on her and grapple off into the night with one upset Cat left on the roof. That's what he _should_ have done.

But it wasn't what Batman did.

Pulling Catwoman back in, he kissed her with all the pent up frustration he'd bottled. All the time spent in a tug of war between the right and wrong of Catwoman finally reached its breaking point, and at that moment Batman didn't care that he probably should have also been cuffing her. The only thing that was registering was her taste. How warm she was. The feel of her curves as his hands roamed. Her arms winding up around his neck along with the soft noises she made.

He wasn't sure how long they were there or what time it was when Catwoman finally broke the kiss. Their breath mingled for a few moments, as they regained a bit of composure. "Wow." She finally muttered. A slight smile crossed Batman's face. "I guess I wouldn't mind you thanking me. Once in a while." Catwoman giggled. "You keep doing things to earn it, I'll keep thanking you." He feigned thought before giving a little nod of agreement.

Catwoman planted another quick kiss on Batman before stepping back, out of his grasp. "I should probably go." Sighing, she stepped to the edge of the building. "I'll see you around, Batman." She said with a seductive little smile. He straightened his posture. "Stay out of trouble, Catwoman." "Not a chance." And with that, she leapt off into the night. Batman whirled around, cape billowing out behind him as he took off in the opposite direction. He was going to finish his patrol—if he could keep his mind straight—and then go home.

* * *

Back in the Batcave at last, Bruce slid off his cowl and groaned, falling back into his chair and running his hand through his thick hair. What was wrong with him? A great woman like Selina Kyle found interest in him, and he really liked her, yet all he wanted was what he could never truly obtain in Catwoman. It boggled his mind, but deep down that's what he knew to be true. And he felt like a dog for it.

Bruce also knew there was very little he could do about either situation. He wasn't going to inexplicably break things off with Selina, not when so many people witnessed them having a great time, and he was also now coming to terms with the fact that Catwoman was imbedded in his life. That wasn't about to change either. With a groan, he slumped in his chair and decided to just wallow in self-pity for a little bit before getting some sleep.


	4. A Wolf In Cat's Clothing

4.

It had been a month since Selina started seeing Bruce Wayne. They had been on three dates and were going to meet in the late afternoon when Bruce got out of a meeting for the fourth. Although things were going well, they weren't moving as quickly as Selina would have liked. According to her plan, they were supposed to have a powerful physical attraction over the first couple dates, she'd tease him a bit, they'd finally go back to his place on the third and by now she'd have gained access to his house. That's how it had played out in her mind.

However, Selina didn't count on running into snags. On their first date, she hadn't even gotten a kiss out of him due to her own klutzy feet. Then, she finally got a kiss out of Batman. And oh, did she revel in that. But after her alter ego's rendezvous with The Dark Knight, her day-time relationship seemed… Different. Bruce seemed different. Perhaps it was just her imagination, that _her_ heart was elsewhere and she projected it on him, but something about their second date felt odd. Bruce was still charming, flirted with her, complimented her, and even gave her that kiss she was owed from their first date, yet she got the feeling that he was somewhat absent from it all.

It didn't matter whether or not his mind was on her, she just had to make sure she stayed in his life long enough to reach her goal and then a little bit after to keep up appearances. Hanging on the arm of a handsome, rich man wasn't the worst thing in the world, she supposed. As she strolled into the lobby of Wayne Enterprises—admiring the massive building as she did so—she didn't realize fate might have smiled down on her when she saw Bruce striding out of the elevator on his phone.

"I said _no_, our company is not going to be associated with anyone who uses our partnership to hurt Gotham." He growled, pausing next to her and lightly brushing his hand across her back in acknowledgement. Selina tilted her head, not unlike a curious cat and listened to his end of the conversation. "… For God's sake, I'm not going over this with you again… I really couldn't care less. We know their money already goes to questionable places, I don't want us involved in shady business." And he hung up with a huff.

Slipping the phone in his pocket, he addressed Selina, easing his expression into a soft smile. "Hi." "Hi there. What's going on?" She asked, although she had some idea of the answer. "Just what it sounded like. A business wants to partner up with us, but they're known to be… Less than reputable. I keep hearing how it would benefit us to do it, but getting tied to the mob is not my idea of beneficial." Bruce rubbed the back of his neck and his smile turned slightly guilty. "I actually still have to take care of a few more things at home. You're welcome to come, but it could take a little while to sort through." Selina had to force herself not to cut him off and not to sound overly excited when she said, "Sure, that'd be fine."

* * *

Finally. As they entered, all Selina could think was finally. She looked around the gargantuan mansion in awe, it was like she'd died and gone to thief heaven. So many expensive things to ogle and so little time. "Good day, sir." She turned to see a butler greeting Bruce. "Hello, Alfred. Selina," Selina gave a small wave on cue, "Will be dining with us later, but I have some business to take care of first." As if he had been given some silent command, Alfred nodded. Bruce turned and placed his hands on her arms. "Make yourself comfortable and if you need anything, just let Alfred know." He stated before kissing Selina on the cheek and striding off like the man on a mission he was.

Selina had been left to herself in the living room, and as she casually looked around her mind was quickly churning out a plot. As far as security, she'd noticed quite a bit of it but nothing she hadn't hacked through before. And most of what she noticed seemed exterior, the goal there in keeping wrongdoers from reaching the home in the first place. It was her favorite kind of security to break. But, she wanted to be sure the rest of the house didn't have any surprises for her—and she wanted to see what other treasures awaited her inevitable arrival.

"Ms. Kyle," Selina jumped slightly and faced Alfred, "Would you like anything?" He inquired. She smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you Alfred, I'm fine for now." She looked around a bit more and chuckled, "Unless I can get a tour of this place." It came out partially as a joke, but Alfred gave a nod. "I'd be happy to show you around, madam. Wayne Manor is a fascinating place." Selina's eyes lit up and she eagerly accepted, following him as he started off down a hallway.

Selina was truly in love with this house. Not only was it filled with priceless trinkets, but it was a beautiful structure. The design, the view, the landscape, the décor, all of it had her enamored. As she followed her tour guide, who occasionally gave her interesting facts about the mansion, she took the liberty of peeking into several rooms. Some were bathrooms or closets or hallways, but one stood out. Trying to keep up with the butler, she only got a brief glance inside, but it was a bedroom. Apparently abandoned, she could see sheets over most of the furniture to protect them while not in use. The bed was fairly small for such a large room, but up on the wall she caught a glimpse of a painting. The sight was fleeting, she only knew it was of a person—or people, she didn't see enough to distinguish which—but she filed it away as something she would follow up on later.

As Alfred led her past the study, Selina expected to hear Bruce, however through the thick doors she didn't. The study and the master bedroom were the two notable rooms Selina didn't get to see. Probably due to Alfred wanting to preserve some of his Master's privacy, yet it tickled her curiosity none the less. Everything else here was so nice, she couldn't help but speculate what those two rooms held. Plus, a small part of her wanted to see where Bruce dwelled, where he likely spent most of his time. Such places were often telling about a person and she wondered what they would say about him.

When the pair returned to the living room, Selina thanked Alfred profusely for the tour, expressing how lovely she thought Wayne Manor was. He'd asked if there was anything else he could do for her at the moment and she politely declined, saying that she would sit and relax for a while. With the butler dismissed, she was free to think and process the information she had just gathered.

* * *

It had been a while—Selina wasn't exactly sure how long—since she had seen either Alfred or Bruce. While she didn't mind the alone time, she was feeling a bit restless. Slipping off her shoes and setting them aside, Selina quietly trotted off down the hallway. She immediately started making her way to the study.

Once she came to the large double doors, Selina listened for a moment. Silence. She gave a little knock and got no response. While that seemed infinitely strange, she figured Bruce was preoccupied, so she strolled down the hall to the master bedroom. Making sure she wasn't being watched, Selina slipped inside and carefully tapped the door shut behind her. She took a moment to observe her surroundings.

One wall was mostly glass, with floor length curtains and a door that lead out onto a balcony. Fancy. The king-sized bed was in the center of the room and the other side lead to the master bathroom. Which Selina peeked in and was quite impressed by as well. The shower alone was to die for. Returning to the bedroom, she noticed a surprising lack of anything… Bachelor-y.

First, it was clean. Perhaps that was Alfred, but she didn't get the sense that anything got dirty or cluttered on a regular basis anyways. The light scent that clung to the air was the smell of Bruce—clean, like soap, and a hint of cologne—not the musk of a room that was normally in disarray. It did have a masculine feel and not many items to decorate the room, everything had a practical function that Selina could easily imagine fitting into a daily morning routine. Not that she thought about his morning routines, she could just picture what it might be. Not that she spent any amount of time picturing such things, but she _could have_.

Second, it was lacking evidence. For being a renowned playboy, she expected some kind of "Did The Most Girls Of 2013" award displayed or a montage of panties on the wall. Okay, maybe a little more subtle than that, but from her experience, most playboys had some sort of "thing". There was no little black book on his nightstand, no unmentionables forgotten in the corner, not even a hint of perfume lingering on the bedspread. Of all the things she'd expect of Bruce Wayne, being faithful wasn't one of them and—even if she shouldn't have cared— it was sort of nice to find. Of course, for all she knew, Alfred took care of that too. But she enjoyed the thought that he might be smitten enough with her that he wouldn't be on the prowl.

Why did this matter to her? It didn't. It most certainly _didn't._

Selina shook her head and continued looking around. Most of the upper-class people in Gotham, especially those that lived in the older buildings, had a safe somewhere in their homes. It was a cliché, but Selina knew that's what she had to look for if she really wanted to score. She looked at the walls, felt them a bit, felt the headboard of the bed a bit, felt the comforter—wow, it was soft-and then decided if there was a safe it wasn't in this room.

Silently exiting and leaving the bedroom exactly as she found it, Selina closed the door and tip-toed back to the study. This time, Bruce's deep baritone was clearly heard from inside, stern and sharp just as he had been earlier. When there was a pause, she gave a little knock on the door. "Come in." Rang out. Selina opened the door and peered inside.

Bruce was leaning back against his desk, suit jacket and tie abandoned on the chair behind him, a button or two released from his shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, arms crossed. He had the phone receiver pinched between his ear and his shoulder but his eyes were on Selina. Her eyes were on his defined forearms, but that was neither here nor there. "Am I interrupting?" She asked quietly. "Nah, they have me on hold." He replied.

Selina stepped in and "discreetly" gave him a once over before she began wandering about the large room. "I'm sorry this is taking so long." Bruce said with a sigh. Selina shrugged, not even turning to acknowledge the apology. "You've gotta do what you've gotta do, I get that." She replied while her eyes scanned the bookcase that spanned the length of one wall. She could feel his eyes on her for a few moments before he piped up into his phone and stood up straight. He turned away from her and shuffled through a few papers as he talked to God-knows-who. While his back was turned, Selina scanned the walls.

Lo and behold, the wall opposite the desk had a painting hanging on it. She peeked back to see Bruce still occupied so she slunk to the painting and brushed her fingertips along the edge of the frame. The wall was thick and there seemed to be a thin gap where the picture could be moved. It was here. Quickly stepping back, Selina pretended to be admiring it when she heard the click of the phone being hung up.

A low groan rumbled and she twirled around toward Bruce as he faced her and leaned back against the desk once more. "Alright, I think it's all squared away." He paused, "Mostly." Selina giggled and stepped over to him. "Just in time, I was about to grab that phone and give them a piece of my mind." She earned a smirk. "Heaven forbid you have to unleash your wrath." He stated as she placed a hand on either side of the desk, trapping him. "I dunno, I still feel a little… wrath-y. You just might have to take the brunt of it now." Selina purred. Bruce let his head loll. "If I _have_ to." He falsely huffed. Selina grinned and leaned up, locking lips with him.

She wouldn't lie, while he was a great kisser, something just felt off. Selina assumed on her end of things it stemmed from the fact that she wasn't kissing Batman, but from Bruce… She felt like he was holding something back, restraining a part of himself. _That's_ what had changed after their first date. Bruce had built some sort of wall and she couldn't figure out when exactly or why. However, to be fair, she had her own walls up. Selina wasn't about to get attached to him—emotionally-current kissing not included.

When they parted, Selina looked up at him from under her lashes. His smile was lazy, his posture relaxed and she sort of liked seeing a more casual side of him. Away from prying eyes, she was seeing a Bruce that slouched. A Bruce that cast his tie aside and didn't seem perfectly prim and proper. He let her fiddle with his collar—brush his clavicle slightly—and didn't pull away or worse, take it as some sort of _signal_. In the rare moments they had been removed from public settings, the little bits of intimacy felt slightly more natural, more comfortable, more… Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Selina took a step back. "So… Dinner?" She tiled her head slightly. As if his memory was jogged, Bruce nodded. "Absolutely."

* * *

Catwoman sprang from roof to roof, enjoying the chilled wind sweeping by, enjoying the misting of rain in her face, enjoying her freedom. She wasn't up to anything tonight—she had taken some cash off a couple of stupid drug dealers that just rubbed her the wrong way, but nothing to write home about—she was simply out in the night with the other stray cats, stretching her muscles. She paused, taking a deep breath and observing the city lights. The city and police lights several blocks away. An eyebrow rose up on Selina's face as the sirens echoed to her. A grin spread on her face.

That many sirens meant something big and important was happening. That could only mean one thing.

Deciding it couldn't hurt to go take a look at the action, Catwoman leapt off to the next building and quickly made her way diagonally to intercept the cars. Once perched on a tall roof, she looked down to see several cop cars chasing a large truck, the culprits occasionally reaching out to take a few shots back. Her gaze rapidly scanned over the buildings below, searching for—there. Running parallel to the chase, Selina saw a familiar cape whipping behind its owner.

Leaping down onto the top of the criminals car, Batman held on tight while they tried to shake him and failed, before reaching in and delivering a blow to the passenger's face. Catwoman shadowed the chase from a healthy distance and watched her man at work. The remaining conscious felon tried again to shake the pointy-eared vigilante, jerking the truck back and forth, failing once again in escaping. Batman pulled a Batarang with a wire attached before readjusting his grip on the slick roof and quickly securing it around the steering wheel, his foe attempting to swat his hand away. Once in place, The Bat jumped and swung around a streetlamp a few times, wire jerking the wheel and causing the truck to skid out wildly. He landed gracefully and watched his work. The criminals had fought not to flip their car on the wet pavement, and in the process allowed police to surround their idle vehicle. It was game over.

Catwoman purred with delight.

It was quite the treat to see The Dark Knight at work. She'd felt him up a few times, admired his muscular body, but actually seeing all the hard work he no doubt put into it in action… Well, she was impressed. Not even the rain was an ally to his foes when it should have been. Selina continued to observe as the shaken crooks were pulled from the truck, cuffed, and the searching process of the vehicle began.

Her attention then fell back on Batman. He was speaking to one of the officers, giving and getting details she was sure, then, the young cop made the mistake of turning his back on Batman. The Dark Knight took the opportunity to melt into the shadows and disappear from the scene without a trace. When the officer turned back around, Catwoman giggled at his befuddlement.

Throughout the ordeal, Catwoman couldn't help but feel a little relieved that Batman wasn't after her the way he was after the other criminals. The more she saw him—saw him wreck felons minds and bodies, saw his willpower and determination to bring them to justice—the more she realized just how privileged she was to keep his favor and his company. It made her stomach clench to think of him pursuing her full force. There was no way she could fight him one on one, Selina knew that from their first encounter and the alley incident confirmed it, and there was a slim chance she could outrun him in a full fledged chase, Selina knew that from all the times she'd seen him simply give up trying to catch her—_let_ her go.

She looked down and saw him, standing on the roof of a building cattycorner from the perpetrators truck. Batman was silently watching the police clean up the mess, before he looked to grapple up—and saw her. Selina grinned; she could see the surprise on his face even from their distance. She blew him a kiss and gave a little wave, watching him shake his head slightly and shoot his grapple on the siding next to her.

In a flash, he flew up and landed just behind her, replacing the gun back on his belt and unfolding to his full height. Batman turned to her and gave her an exasperated look, although Catwoman could tell he was amused.

"I see the stalking is going well." That deep, silky voice chimed.

Catwoman chuckled. "A happy coincidence, Batman. I heard the entire police force out and about and thought I'd see who else might be causing trouble tonight."

"I don't believe in coincidences."

"Of course you don't."

Batman's gaze turned expectant. "… Well?"

"Well what?"

"Give it up, what have you done now?"

Catwoman gave a sly grin. "You wound me, darling. Can't a girl have a night out on the town?"

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to frisk you?"

"Ooh, that sounds like fun." Catwoman bent over on the ledge of the roof, giving him a view of her behind, "I truly haven't done anything, but you're more than welcome to check." She bit her lip lightly. Batman stepped over to her, but he didn't go to check her belt. Instead, his hands landed on hers, his body overlapping hers, his face just beside hers. He paused there, letting the heat of his body sink into hers while simultaneously shielding her from the rain. Catwoman could feel his breath sweep across her cheek before he leaned down and pressed a kiss into her shoulder. "I believe you." He said softly. She shivered, tingles shooting up her spine, arched back against him and gave the side of his face a little nuzzle.

As quickly as it had happened, he removed himself and stepped back. "I've got to go, Catwoman." She shook herself from her slight daze and grabbed his wrist. "Woah, hold your horses. You don't get to do that and just leave." Her voice was surprisingly stern. His eyes locked onto hers for a moment, then he pulled her in and pressed a hot kiss on her lips. It didn't last nearly long enough to sate her lust, but Catwoman settled for what she got. "I have pressing matters to attend to, I really do have to go." Batman stated. Sighing, she stepped back from him and weakly saluted before he took off into the night and swung away.

Leaning back against the ledge, Selina sighed. Her attraction to that man was wild, out of control, and she wanted nothing more than to explore it. She only wished they had more time and less distraction. And maybe less clothing. Perhaps there would come a time when all that would happen. Until then, brief encounters would have to do, and she would take all she could get from him.

* * *

A few nights later, at last, it was time to strike. Catwoman had disabled the security systems at Wayne Manor and climbed to the roof, where she sped across the shingles to the balcony outside the master bedroom. She peeked in and saw it was dark and empty within. Once she landed on the balcony, she took a look across at the other windows outside of the house to see they were dark as well. Making quick work of the glass door lock, Selina slipped in and flattened herself beside the door to the hallway.

She heard a creak.

Peering out, she saw Bruce leave the blackened study, groaning, rubbing the back of his neck, walking the opposite direction and turning a corner. Catwoman's eyes adjusted to the darkness as she quickly made her way into the study, tapped the door shut behind herself and in a few long strides, she was at the painting. Sliding a claw between the frame and the wall, she pried it up and found it swung open with hinges on one side. The safe was there, imbedded in the wall, just waiting to be cracked.

She wasted no time in getting to work on the lock, listening carefully and twisting the dial back and forth. Catwoman kept calm as she worked the combination, focusing all her attention to the sound of the wheels inside. At last, she made it in and quickly looked through the contents…

Selina tilted her head slightly. Having expected so much, she was unsure what to think now.

Inside there were a few folders, a pocket watch, an old photo and—well well well, it wasn't a complete waste of time. There, dimly shining in the moonlight was a pearl necklace and a matching pair of earrings. Selina carefully removed the jewelry and examined them. Both items were made with real pearls, each perfectly formed and arranged on the necklace from smallest near the clasp to largest in the center. The iridescent sheen they carried was tantalizing, Catwoman couldn't wait to try them on.

The door creaked behind her and she quickly turned to see, standing there with widening eyes, Bruce.


	5. A Cat in The Hen House

5.

Bruce had just pulled into the Batcave, having come from a large gang fight that had resulted in him taking a few blows to the ribs, a kick to the gut and a fall from a second story window. Of course, he caught all of the thugs, but he'd taken a pretty good beating in the process. Thankfully, he hadn't gotten hit in the face, so explaining the soreness to Nosey Nellie's would be easier. Pushing himself out of the Batmobile, grunting as his aching muscles protested, Bruce gingerly walked over to where Alfred had laid out a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. Carefully sliding out of the Batsuit, he changed into the much more comfortable clothes and made his way to the elevator, which took him up to the study.

The headache that had formed at the base of his skull was begging to be dealt with. Bruce released a groan and rubbed the back of his neck as he strode out of the dark room, down the hall and headed to the kitchen. Alfred was asleep, Bruce had told him it would be a late night and not to wait up. Once in the kitchen, he got a glass of water and dug in a cabinet for a bottle of aspirin they kept hidden in the corner. Popping a few pills, he took a gulp of water and sat up on the counter. One of the benefits of Alfred being asleep: he could sit where ever he wanted without being scolded.

Enjoying the dark, quiet alone time, Bruce slowly sipped his drink while he let the tension slip from his tired body. His mind was screaming for sleep, but he simply couldn't force his feet back onto the ground to start the trek to his bed. So instead, he sat and relaxed and yawned and he stayed there for a while deciding what to do. Bruce considered passing out on the couch, which was far closer than his room, but he also knew he wouldn't be half as comfortable. His legs wouldn't fit and there was no room to toss or turn.

Finally, with a sigh, he chose to go back to his room. Easing off the counter, Bruce whined as his weight rested on his throbbing feet. He started off to the sweet relief of bed, but as he passed the study, he paused. Something was amiss. He had left that door wide open and now it was almost completely shut. Backing up, Bruce listened for a moment and then slowly pushed the door open.

His eyes widened in shock at the sight of Catwoman in his safe, holding the necklace and earrings. The creaking of old hinges seemed to startle her. She whirled around and faced him, a few heartbeats passing between them before, in an instant, she leapt closer and let her whip loose. The leather coiled around his neck and tightened to a painful, borderline choking grip. His first instinct was to grab it, his hands flying to the leather, but Catwoman wagged her finger. "Ah, ah, ahhh. You wouldn't want me to pull this and take the skin off that lovely neck of yours, would you?" She purred. His body wanted to cough against the strain on his throat, but he forced it down to hold the glare on his face.

She kept a distance, gave the whip no slack as she carefully moved around to the nearest window and pocketed the jewelry. "Don't give me that look, you had to know it was only a matter of time before I paid you a visit." She shrugged a bit. Bruce knew she wasn't expecting him though. He didn't respond and held his gaze on her. The woman tilted her head a bit and propped one hand on her shapely hip. "Or do look at me like that, whatever. You _are_ pretty sexy when you're angry." She gave him a little smirk, playfully. His humor was gone; dead and buried with the sight of Catwoman robbing him of those precious objects.

The Cat pouted some at his unwillingness to banter—or show fear—before she lifted a leg and kicked out the glass of the window. "Well, it's been wonderful chatting with you, handsome, but I should be going." She winked before releasing the whip's hold on him and leaping out the window. Bruce was immediately at the edge, gaze unsuccessfully searching for her. Anger began welling up in the pit of his stomach. He felt helpless. He couldn't go after her as Batman yet, that would be a dead giveaway, but he felt sick at the thought of her getting away. And what was worse, the thought of her possibly selling those dear items.

With so few options, he turned and grabbed the phone, alerting the cops of the robbery. When Alfred came in, having heard the glass shatter, he was greeted by one furious Bruce Wayne.

* * *

The next day, Bruce sat in his office looking out the window, brooding about the events that had taken place. Thankfully, Catwoman had only taken the jewelry, but on the flip side that was one of the worst things she could have taken. His desk phone beeped, and a voice chimed through. "Mr. Wayne, there's a Selina Kyle here to see you." At first the words didn't even register, but once his mind snapped back and caught up, he told them to let her up.

In a few minutes, Selina strode through his door, a pretty smile spread on her face, a confident swing in her hips. Bruce saw none of that as he had turned his attention back out the window. "Bruce?" Her voice rang, interrupting his thoughts once again. "Hmm?" Was all he returned to her. Selina slipped around and sat up on the desk beside him, crossing her legs. "Bruce, what's the matter?" She piped. His icy gaze didn't move. "Got robbed last night." He growled. A soft gasp emitted from the woman. "Oh no, that's terrible! What did they get?"

"She."

"She?"

"She. I walked in and saw her." Selina paused in thought before she looked back at him. "Well, what did _she_ get, then?" She corrected. "Something very important." The answer was short and sweet. "Valuable?" Came the next question. His eyes finally turned on her, his gaze still sharp, and Selina tilted her head slightly. Pushing himself to his feet, Bruce straightened his suit. "I've got to run down to the police station, they want to talk about what happened. You can come, if you'd like." He held out his hand for her as she slid off the desk and blinked. "I… Uh—Sure."

He could feel her eyes on him in the elevator, but Bruce just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He didn't care if she thought his anger was unattractive, or if she felt slighted because he didn't shower her with attention the moment she entered his office. Bruce's mind was on one thing and one thing only.

Selina kept up with his pace as they exited the lobby to find Alfred waiting with the car, door opened in preparation for their arrival. "I take it Ms. Kyle is joining us today, sir?" He earned a hum of confirmation as Bruce climbed in and took the seat on the far side. Selina gave some brief pleasantries to Alfred as she slid in and had the door shut behind her. Once they were moving, Bruce's gaze fell to the buildings outside. He didn't know what he expected to see, but looking out on Gotham helped him think. I just killed him to know Catwoman was so close, and yet for all he knew, completely out of reach.

"Bruce?" The soft feminine voice beside him drew him back out of his stupor yet again. He turned his gaze on her and saw concern on her face. "Are you sure you want me with you?" Selina asked, gentle yet blunt. A twinge of guilt curled in his stomach. He knew he shouldn't take it out on anyone else—especially Selina—as no one was to blame for the crime. His sour mood put a taint on everything, including her company, but that was his problem not hers. Bruce released a sigh and nodded. "Yeah. I'm just a bit out of it, but I definitely want you here." His reply brought a small smile back to her face and she placed her hand on his leg. "I bet the cops will catch her."

"I'm positive they won't."

* * *

Inside the police station, Bruce stood in the Commissioner's office, waiting for him. Alfred was keeping Selina company while he was giving his report. The door swung open and he turned, the graying man who stepped through the door adjusted his glasses before giving Bruce a handshake. "Mr. Wayne, thanks for coming. We just need some details from you." Jim stated. He strode around and sat in his chair, gesturing for Bruce to sit opposite of him.

"Commissioner, it's always a pleasure, but I thought I told you everything in the police report last night?" Bruce sat and smoothed down his tie. Jim nodded, "You did. The details I want are on the thief herself, not what she did or how she did it." Bruce cocked an eyebrow and Gordon chuckled. "Allow me to clarify, no one's gotten a good look at her except Batman and not even he's caught her in the act. I want to know if there's anything we're missing." Bruce relaxed in his chair a bit and thought. Of course, he knew her and he knew most everything about the way she worked, but he had to refrain from giving up any info that Batman would know, but Bruce Wayne wouldn't.

"I can't tell you much more than what I already have. She was completely silent, I didn't know my security was disabled, much less that she was in the house. She had… Things on the ends of her gloves, looked like claws. She's—I dunno—pretty thin? Um… The thing I remember most is her whip." And Bruce gave a shrug. Jim nodded a few times. "How's your neck doing, by the way?" Bruce gave a little smile and tugged his collar down enough to reveal the rest of the light red bruises that blemished his skin. "Fair. Thanks for asking."

Commissioner Gordon asked a few more questions that Bruce answered as best he could before he stood and rubbed his brow some. "Alright, thank you Mr. Wayne. We'll be in touch." Bruce rose up as well and tilted his head a bit. "Commissioner, may I ask what you were hoping for out of this?" The older man gave a weary smile. "I was hoping that there would be some indication we're not dealing with a robbery genius. But, it seems like that's exactly what we've got on our hands." Bruce swallowed. "What do you think the chances are of getting them ba—" "You let me worry about that." Jim gave a sharp nod and came around to open the door for Bruce. "I assure you Bruce, we're going to do everything we can to make sure you get your things back." Jim stated. Bruce thanked him before he left, and wove his way back to the front doors.

The police might not have known what they were dealing with, but he did. And he knew if anyone was going to catch Catwoman, it would be him.

As he stepped down the stairs and strolled down to where the car was parked along the curb, Bruce saw Selina and Alfred chatting beside the vehicle. They were completely at ease, Selina saying something that drew a chuckle out of the butler, no tension or stress. He suddenly realized how much he needed some downtime. Everything had been going wrong as of late and he needed a break, to relax and unwind a bit. And another twinge of guilt pricked him when he thought about how much he'd blown Selina off this week. She took it like a champ, but that didn't mean he wanted to continue doing it… He had even more reason to treat her better now that he was quite certain his feline fling was out the door.

As Bruce approached, Alfred straightened up a bit and Selina turned around. "What did they have to say sir?" Bruce slipped his hands in his pockets. "They just wanted to make sure nothing was missed." He replied. His attention turned to Selina and he smiled. "It occurred to me that, in these last few days, I haven't exactly been around much." She raised an eyebrow and listened a little more intently. "So, I was wondering if you'd like to go do something. Something a little more… Normal." He leaned against the car and watched her face brighten up. "Want to go catch a movie?" She suggested. "That sounds perfect." He replied, opening the car door for her, Alfred hurrying to the driver's seat.

* * *

"Dear God, what was that?"

"Are you sure it was supposed to be a horror movie?"

"It was _supposed_ to be. Was he actually hiding in the floor that whole time?"

"I guess. It's a good thing he must have packed the entire crawlspace with food and water."

"Oh, and that girl! Ugh! It's bad when you're rooting for the main character to die." Selina shook her head, exasperated while Bruce laughed. "That one is on me, completely my fault. If you revoke my right to choose which movies we see from now on, I understand." She held up her hands in submission. "I'll consider that." He got a light smack on the arm and a giggle before she threaded her hand around his bicep as they strolled. "And you're sure he was under there the whole time?" "Pretty sure." "Hmmm…"

The sun was almost gone from the sky, casting a soft glow on Gotham. The streetlights were beginning to pop on and the air was cooling. Their pace slowed, taking the time to enjoy the atmosphere. He glanced down at Selina and noticed an odd expression on her face. The woman looked like she was thinking real hard about something—probably a similar look to the one that had been on his face earlier—with her brow slightly furrowed and her gaze distant even though it was on the ground. Bruce thought for a moment before he glanced around to see if anyone was watching.

When they came upon a small alcove, where the building dipped in and housed a door, he took the opportunity to pull her into it and kiss her. He still had an emotional wall put up—he knew she did too—but he made sure he gave her a real kiss this time, not a lax, guarded one. Selina was surprised, had let out a small squeak when she was first pulled off course, but as one of his hands cupped her cheek and the other found its way to her waist, she became a bit less startled.

As their lips meshed, he gave her no time to adjust and get dominance—as she usually did. Parting every so often, he took in a breath before going right back to working over her soft, warm mouth. She had the lingering flavor of soda on her tongue, a hint of vanilla from her lip gloss, and an underlying taste that was just Selina. Not having kissed her this way before, he was now kicking himself for missing out. It was a sensation he didn't want to end and knew he'd have to explore further.

Soon however, Bruce pulled back some, let her catch her breath, heard the almost non-existent whimper she made at the loss of contact, watched her eyes lightly flutter open. For a moment, she was vulnerable and her green gaze was soft. Then he watched Selina's barrier go back up. She cleared her throat some, "Well that was unexpected." Her words were still breathy. Bruce gave a small shrug. "Gotta keep you on your toes." He brushed his lips across hers before he took her hand and led her back onto the sidewalk. Selina intertwined her arm with his and interlocked their fingers while he took another quick look around to make sure no one was watching.

* * *

Having dropped Selina off, Bruce leaned back in the car seat as Alfred started them home. It was mostly dark outside, only the faintest glow of sunlight remained on the horizon, and that meant it was time for nocturnal creatures to awaken. Bruce's eyes absently scanned the Gotham skyline, his mind wandering back to the Cat problem.

It was going to eat him alive.

"Master Bruce, may I assume you're going to be out tonight?" Alfred gave him a glance in the rearview mirror. "Yes." Bruce replied, "I've got a Cat to catch." Alfred gave a nod, for once not lending a kitty quip. It seemed his favor of Catwoman had wilted away as well. "I hope you catch her, sir." Was the only thing he said. Bruce ground his teeth a bit. "Me too, Alfred. Me too."

* * *

That night he hadn't seen any trace of Catwoman on his patrol. The following night, however…

Bruce stood on the decorative siding of a building, concealed in the shadows as his penetrating gaze scanned for any trace of the thief. He'd considered setting out a can of tuna as bait but ended up ruling against it. Preparing to grapple elsewhere, he took one last look and saw a feminine figure lazily strolling on top of one of the nearby office buildings. Batman knew if Catwoman hadn't wanted to be seen, she wouldn't have been. She was never out in the open so brazenly unless she wanted his attention. She had his attention, but probably not in the way she was hoping.

He jumped, grappling off to the rooftop she occupied and landing silently in the darkness the neighboring skyscraper created. It took her a few moments, but once she paused her stride and a smile graced her lips, Batman knew Catwoman was aware of his presence. "One of these days you're going to have to tell me how you do that." She purred, spinning and facing him. He didn't answer. She tilted her head slightly and stepped a bit closer. "What's wrong darling, don't feel like chatting tonight?" He didn't answer. She grew a confused look on her face as she stepped even closer, standing less than an arm length away.

"I was hoping to find you," Catwoman said in a gentle tone, "I had… an experience yesterday. It left me kind of… I don't know… wanting some reassurance, I suppose." Batman bit his tongue. It was difficult not to snap at her—yet—and somehow he was still smothering down the attraction to her. For all she'd done, his body was _still_ drawn to her, although he was having a much easier time squelching the desire as he thought back to her whip curled around his throat and his belongings in her claws. He remained quiet though. "Reassurance you feel the same way about me that I feel about you." Her voice was soft, and her hand lifted toward the bat in the center of his chest.

His hand clamped around her wrist, twisting it slightly and keeping it away from him.

A small shriek escaped her as a state of shock spread all over her face. "I was hoping to find you tonight too," His deep growl made her eyes widen further, "I wanted to tell you how sick and tired I am of you using "us" to escape the law." As his words poured over her, she started to lightly jerk her hand away from him. But Batman's grasp would take a lot more to break than that. "You steal from homes, families, and you rob the city of priceless artifacts, all for what? Thrills, as far as I can tell." He continued, her attempt to escape his grasp becoming a bit more frantic, "And I'm done letting you go, Catwoman. I'm done letting you take anything you want just because you want it." With that, she began thrashing, twisting and fighting off his grasp. It was tougher to hold on to her, but with his other hand, he found the cuffs on his belt and slapped one side on her captured wrist.

There was a pause between them. Catwoman looked up with glazed eyes, silently pleading with him not to do this. It pricked a chord in his heart, but Batman stood firm, unyielding. Regret flashed in her eyes and then an instant, her free hand flew faster than lightning and sent her claws ripping across his chest. A howl escaped him, and he didn't remember letting go of her, but the sound of running snapped him back. He _had_ to catch her, she was _not_ getting away.


	6. Right Under Our Noses

6.

Catwoman had known something was wrong. Sensed it from the moment he didn't respond. She was still in a state of disbelief as the handcuff wrapped around her wrist. She looked up, silently begging Batman not to do this—not to _make_ _her_ do this—but his dark, hardened gaze told her he was done with her pleas. Hoping he could see how sorry she was, how she didn't want this, she dug her claws into his chest and slashed. Hearing his deep voice crack in a yelp caused a lump in her throat, but as soon as he released her, Selina took off running.

The gashes were deeper than the first time she'd cut into him. While it wasn't nearly fatal, it would be painful, especially if he had plans to chase her. About the time she reached the edge of the roof, she knew that was exactly what he intended to do. She jumped off the edge, narrowly escaping a Batarang with a wire attached, intended for her legs.

Somersaulting on the next roof, Catwoman could hear him coming, fast and powerful like a runaway freight train. She quickly dug a claw into the keyhole on those bat-shaped handcuffs and picked the small lock to free it from her wrist, tossing them aside before she grabbed her whip. As Catwoman sprang off the ledge, she released the leather coil and caught a flagpole, rapidly swinging another direction and landing roughly onto a roof. She forced herself up and took a peek back at the man chasing her—_the man who was moments from landing directly behind her_—and she sprinted away just out of his grasp, diving off the other side of the rooftop.

Selina's heart was beating wildly, adrenaline and fear pulsing through her as she desperately tried gain a little distance. There was no hope of losing Batman in sight, at the moment she only had a prayer of some wiggle room. Even the slightest slipup and he'd be on her, no doubt hogtying her and calling the Batmobile from his wrist panel.

Catwoman caught onto anything she could with her whip, as late as possible to make it more difficult to tell her trajectory. A few times Batman swung too close for comfort and almost snagged her by the arm or leg, but Selina quickly dropped down or pushed off of him and continued on running across buildings. Of course, whenever she thought she had gained that precious space, she'd peek back and see him rapidly closing the gap again. He was too fast to outrun, the power he exerted was incredible and nearly inhuman even when wounded. She had to come up with something _now_ or she was going to run out of energy and luck.

Quickly, Selina made her way to the museum and kicked in a panel of glass from the lobby, diving in with Batman right on her heels. The alarms went off, but that didn't matter to her. She just needed somewhere to hide.

Darting down a hallway and into a room, she spun and sent her whip exactly where she knew he'd be. Batman could barely stop before the leather cracked against his chest, causing a strangled noise through gritted teeth as it found its target; his slashes. Catwoman murmured a soft apology to the man nearly brought to his knees as she tore out into another room, finally buying enough time to find something—_anything_—to use to her advantage. The guards were close too, she could hear their concerned voices asking Batman what had happened, who had done this to him—did he know how bad he was bleeding—and if he should really keep going. Out of time and options, she climbed up and opened the nearest vent, silently shutting it behind herself and swiftly making her way through the metal tubes.

She knew he couldn't fit in the ventilation after her, she just hoped he didn't know these pipes as well as she did or correctly guess which end she was heading for. Even when she was rid of his feet behind her, she could still hear him under her—soft panting and occasionally a grunt emitting from him—tracking her from below. She thought Batman spotted her dart across a grate once, but Catwoman was too fast to catch.

Finally, she stopped. Listening for him, she could only hear guards—or perhaps police now—going by beneath—or above, it was hard to tell which floor they were on—but she didn't hear Batman. He was too smart to continue letting her hear where he was, Selina knew that. And it scared her. After a few minutes, Catwoman caught her breath and quietly worked her way to the elevator shaft, where she carefully climbed down and entered another vent, this one heading for the rear of the building and freedom.

Stopping behind a corner, Catwoman peered around and looked out toward the grate that exited to the back lot. She didn't see Batman, so she slunk a bit closer to it. Pausing, breath hitching, she could finally see the rooftop's shadow and an outline it cast. He was still here. Selina waited, watching his form, sweating, panicking as she did so. But… He didn't know where she was. She could tell he was pacing, searching for her from above, assuming she'd already left. She wasn't about to move until she was sure he was gone. Her stomach wretched when his silhouette went down to one knee, undoubtedly checking his wounds and beginning to feel a great deal of pain as his adrenaline wound down. Selina could hear him, a frustrated roar escaping Batman before his shadow whipped around and left in the other direction.

Fear still had hold of Catwoman, who stayed frozen in the vent for a long while after The Dark Knight had disappeared. How could she be sure he was actually gone? What if he was just trying to draw her out? Batman's patience was unmatched, it was so very much like him to wait out criminals. Even being sliced open, she wouldn't put it past him to pull something like that. Selina watched cops pass by the vent, hid from their flashlights, heard their barricade leave and the world outside go silent in the night before she was ready to look out the bars.

Carefully sliding over to the grate, her green gaze scanned her surroundings. There was no sign of anyone, much less Batman. But how could she be sure? She couldn't. Taking a few more minutes to stare out at the terrain, Catwoman breathed deeply and then popped the grate open and silently exited her hiding place. Her senses were on alert, hypersensitive to everything. Looking around the corner, at the roof across the street, and behind her, Catwoman found she was utterly alone. She felt no more at ease.

* * *

A few hours before dawn, Catwoman arrived back home. Maven had fallen asleep waiting for her, but immediately sprang up when she heard the window in Selina's bedroom open. Rushing in, the assistant found Selina looking out the glass as she slammed the window and began rapidly peeling off her clothing. "Selina! Thank Heaven, I've been worried sick!" Maven shrieked. Selina seemed deaf to her. The woman practically ran into the bathroom and continued stripping off her outfit. "Selina, what happened? What's wrong?" Maven stepped in and placed her hand on her boss's shoulder, halting her actions.

Selina's eyes were still wide as she looked at the other woman. "Maven, you know how you see those people Batman catches on TV? The looks plastered on their faces?" Maven nodded some. "I just found out why they look like that." And Selina yanked off her boots before pulling on a robe and gathering up her costume. Maven stood stunned for a few moments. "W-Wait! You mean Batman turned on you? Came after you?" She spun and watched Selina stuff her suit under the bed and then check out the window again. "Yes."

Maven took some time to calm Selina down, sitting her on the couch and bringing her a cup of decaf tea while she listened to the story of Batman's pursuit. "Oh Maven, it was awful. I don't know what happened, he was like a different person. The way he looked at me… It was like he hated me. Where did this come from?" Maven's heart broke a bit watching Selina's eyes get glassy and her posture sink into the couch. Isis strolled over and sniffed Selina's hand, giving it a little nuzzle. Maven sat next to her. "That's so strange. Was he under the influence of something, maybe? I've seen what that Scarecrow can do on the news before, maybe something like that happened to him?" Selina shook her head. "No. Batman was perfectly in control of himself. Something _changed_." Maven considered the information for another minute or two before Selina could almost see the light bulb above her head.

"What if Bruce Wayne downplayed his friendship with Batman?"

Selina blinked. What if that _was_ the case? It fit with the given timeline, she robs Wayne Manor and a couple nights later Batman has pulled a complete reversal on her. Slowly, she started nodding, "That does make sense, Maven. Perhaps what I took from Bruce is more valuable than I thought. And Batman seems pretty protective." She said before she stood and paced around the living room. "Bruce was awfully distraught…" Selina muttered. "If Batman caught wind of that, it would make perfect sense why he would come after you so hard." Maven finished. Isis meowed in agreement.

Selina took a sip of her tea and continued thinking. This gave her a new excuse—_reason_, it gave her reason—to stay with Mr. Wayne. If she could obtain even the slightest hints about Batman, it would help her cause a great deal. And with the caped crusader no longer giving her a pass, she'd likely be spending a lot more time out of costume anyways. Might as well spend that time in good company.

Nodding more to herself, she heard Maven chime in. "So what are you going to do now?" Selina turned and faced her assistant. "Catwoman is going to lay low for the time being. Not disappear completely, but certainly keep the cat burglary to a minimum. Selina is going to continue seeing Bruce, longer than scheduled." She explained, earning a purr of approval from Isis. "Go home, Maven. I'm fine. We could both use some sleep, anyways." She stated.

When Maven let herself out, Selina locked her door and, giving one last check outside to make sure she was indeed alone, she slipped into bed with Isis curling up beside her and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

The sun was well in the sky by the time Selina was awakened by her phone ringing. Rousing out of her sleep, she realized the cause of that unpleasant noise and forced herself up and out of bed to go answer. "Hello?" She croaked into the receiver. "Ms. Kyle?" The British accent on the other end brought a little smile to her face. "Hey Alfred, what's he gone and done now?" She asked through a yawn. "Master Bruce has asked me to tell you an emergency came up and he had to go on a business trip. He regrets that he'll have to be gone approximately two weeks beginning today." Alfred explained, deflating Selina's demeanor some. "Two weeks? Yeow, it must be an emergency. Is everything alright?" "Oh yes ma'am, he'll have everything fixed up in no time. I believe it's more of a hassle than anything else." With a soft sigh, she wished the butler well and hung up.

Great, just great. That stalled _everything_ she had going. With a groan, Selina fell back on her couch and stared at the ceiling. There was a twinge of something in her stomach—at first she thought perhaps she wasn't feeling well, but no, that wasn't it—something not so much physical but more of an emotion that tugged on her insides. Sitting for a solid five minutes attempting to analyze this feeling, she ended up stuffing it to the back of her mind.

Selina's living room filled with groans and whines. All this thinking about her knotted up stomach hadn't done a lick of good for her knotted up stomach. She decided to go deal with the crumpled up suit under her bed for some distraction. Once she pulled it out—carefully shutting the curtains and then hiding it with her body—she felt absolutely worse. The blood on her gloves' claws was proof that she had dug into Batman a little more than she had intended. The blood on her whip was proof that she had done some real damage to him. That explained why he quit his pursuit of her. It wasn't so much that she had lost him, Selina figured, he likely knew he needed medical attention. He couldn't hunt her down if he bled out. And sure, Batman brought it on himself, but she still felt a little bad for doing _that_ much harm. Groaning and whining filled Selina's bedroom, too. She just couldn't win, wherever she'd turned.

Tossing the stained garments back under her bed, Selina buried her fingers in her hair and hung her head. She knew moping around wasn't going to accomplish anything, so she'd make do with the days she was forced to be away from Bruce. Unfortunately, the more time she spent around him, the more fascinated she became with him, the more she wanted to know about him and not just because there was evidence he was chummy with Batman. Why was _this_ a problem? Selina wasn't supposed to enjoy being around Bruce at all, much less now that he was her victim. It wasn't in the plotting to make extra time to see Bruce just for the sake of seeing him, or because she kind of liked catching him being casual in dress and demeanor, or because she knew he'd be in a bad mood from bruises her whip left on his neck…

Isis brushed against her back for reassurance, but for some reason, not even her beloved cat could make her feel better. It seemed every man in her life suddenly vanished and what was worse, she just acknowledged Mr. Wayne was officially a part of her life. Flopping back and laying on the floor, Selina shook her head. "This is crazy." She said softly, "I'm just being dramatic." Isis leaned over her master and tilted her head, as if confused. Selina groaned some more. Isis wasn't the only one confused.

* * *

The first week went by fairly quick. Catwoman even made off with some jewels from an exhibit passing through town without a trace of Batman. Of course, she'd spent most of her week planning the heist and all of her escape routes, tediously going over every minutia and packing plenty of gear… But it went smoothly, without a pointy eared hitch. Halfway through the second week, however, she started feeling that odd pit in her stomach. Selina had difficulty coming up with things to burn some time without a certain billionaire popping into her head.

Lunch—with Bruce was always entertaining.

Maybe going to an art gallery—with Bruce—would be fun.

Visit the zoo—with Bruce.

Go catch that play she wanted to see—with Bruce.

Take a walk in the park—with Bruce.

Or perhaps just staying home and watching movies on Netflix would be the best option… But Bruce would make that quite a bit better as well. Those last few, unoccupied days made Selina very antsy. But, on day thirteen, her phone rang. "Hello?" She tried not to sound too tightly wound.

"Hey." For a split second, the deep, smooth voice sounded like Batman and Selina's stomach nearly wrung itself. But, she quickly recognized Bruce's baritone and smiled some. "And here I thought you fell off the side of the Earth." She leaned on the armrest of her couch as she heard the chuckle on the other end. "For a while I thought I did too." Selina's smile grew a little as he continued, "My apologies for the erratic schedule. It—"

"Bruce," She heard him fall silent, "I know what you do. I know you're pretty darn good at what you do. Running one of the largest companies in the world will sometimes cause an "erratic schedule." I get that and I'm not a needy little girl who feels slighted from it. You never have to apologize to me. I understand, truly." Of course, that implied their relationship would last long enough for this to come up again… Regardless, the silence on the other end made her wonder for a few seconds if he had cut out or if she had in some way offended him.

"…Bruce? Are you still there?" Selina heard a soft throat clear, "Yeah, yeah I'm still here." Offended it is. "Oh, good. So—" There was a knock at her door. "Uh—When are you going to be back?" She asked while she got up and strolled over to her door. As it swung open, it revealed the tall man on the other end of the phone, leaning against her doorframe. "Sooner than you think." Bruce replied, dropping his phone in his pocket while a small smile tugged the corner of his mouth.

Selina's eyes widened before her body reacted—without her permission, mind you—by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug. His deep chuckle rumbled through her as she felt him wrap her up in his arms. "I missed you too, Selina." He softly purred in her ear. Hands tightening on the leather of his jacket—which was very nice, by the way—Selina swallowed a small amount of panic.

She did not miss Bruce. Sure, she'd just thrown herself on him because he'd been gone for a short while and it pleased her to see he hadn't—say—gotten stabbed. That didn't mean she missed him. Missing someone involved wanting them with you instead of wherever they were—caring for them. There was most definitely no caring going on for Mr. Wayne. Nope. None. Not even a little.

Maybe a little. NO.

Bruce pressed a kiss against her cheek, and his hands retracted to her sides, slowly sliding up and down in a soothing motion. Her whirling mind began to still as his gentle caressing quelled some of her built up anxiety. As if perceiving her tension with his magical sixth sense, Bruce pulled back the slightest bit. "Is everything okay?" There was a touch of concern in his voice. Concern meant he cared for her general wellbeing. He was worried about her. She liked that. Did she want to like th—"Mmhm." She mumbled into his shoulder before her mind could answer the question. He was silent because he wasn't convinced. Selina internally sighed. "I've had a stressful couple weeks. That's all."

Bruce pulled back a little more, enough to look her in the eyes. She wished he didn't. Brow knit together, his blue gaze pierced her as if he was prepared to tear the answers from her whether she wanted him to or not. "Selina…" That smooth voice, those sharp eyes, his overall worried tone. It almost melted her. For half a second, Selina was prepared to give him all the answers he wanted, even the ones she hadn't come to herself. But quickly, she mentally kicked the door to her feelings shut. "It's really not a big deal." She put up a small smile that didn't seem to satisfy Bruce, so she ran her fingers up the back of his neck and buried them in his thick, dark hair to give him something else to think about. The expression on his face eased, but she could tell she wasn't quite out of the woods. Swallowing, she brought her hands down and gently cupped his jaw. "I'm just glad you're here." Selina said softly. That didn't mean she'd missed him.

That didn't mean she'd missed him right?

When the lazy smile returned to his face, she relaxed a bit. "Would you like to come in? I was just…" Selina paused and glanced back inside, "Not doing much of anything." And she put on a forced grin that brought a snicker. "I'd love to, but I can't. I just wanted to see you." Bruce replied. Selina was about to respond when she felt something soft brush against her ankle.

Looking down, she saw Isis, who had crept out and was now staring up at Bruce with wide eyes. "What are you doing out here?" Selina asked as she pulled out of his grasp and scooped up the black cat. "Well hello there." Bruce greeted while the feline continued to stare at him. "Bruce, meet Isis. Isis, this is Bruce, he's the one we've talked about." Selina earned an amused look and a cocked eyebrow before he turned his attention back to Isis. Offering her his finger, Isis obliged by smelling the digit cautiously for a few long seconds. "Isis here has some trust issues but give her some time and once she knows your scent she'll—" Selina stopped dead in her tracks when he dipped his finger under Isis' chin and gave a gentle scratching. Isis stretched her neck forward and blinked slowly in approval with a purr beginning to well up in her throat.

Selina's eyes widened at the sweet little scene before her. "She seems fine." Bruce said with a small shrug as he retracted his hand. Isis tilted her head, giving him an expectant look which also held some slight outrage that he'd stopped petting her. The nerve. Selina scratched her feline's head. "Wow, and here I thought I was the cat whisperer." She set Isis down inside and tapped the door shut behind herself.

When she faced him, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I should probably go." Before the statement had completely left his mouth, a look flashed through Bruce's eyes that said something had sprung to mind. "Oh, I meant to ask you, would you be able to accompany me the day after tomorrow to… some charity thing?" He asked. Selina tilted her head. "Who's is it?" "I don't remember." "What's it for?" "No idea." "Where is it?" "Not sure." "What _do_ you know?" "I know Alfred RSVP'd me to it so it must be important." Selina laughed. "I'd love to go. You could probably use me to stay entertained anyways." Bruce chuckled and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you."

After saying their goodbyes, Selina slipped inside—once she watched him stroll down the hallway and reach the elevator, before realizing she was staring—and pressed her back against the shut door. It was only then she became aware what disarray she was in, wearing a tank top covered by an oversized long sleeved shirt that hung off her shoulder and calf length leggings with holes here and there… And possibly one in the crotch. Oh God, was this the pair that had a hole in the crotch? With a sigh, Selina bumped her head against the door a few times.

* * *

Selina was finishing getting ready, putting on silver hoop earrings and fixing her hair when a knock sounded through the apartment. She could hear Maven answer and greet Bruce, stating, "My, don't you look handsome, Mr. Wayne!" Selina refrained from rolling her eyes—when _didn't_ he look handsome? That was like saying "Why Mr. Dalmatian, aren't you positively spotted!" Giving her lip gloss one last check, adjusting her black dress one last time and tucking a flyaway strand of hair back, Selina took a deep breath and exited to the living room.

Oh. Maybe Maven's statement wasn't as crazy as it sounded.

Bruce was wearing a suit she hadn't seen before, a charcoal gray with a matching tie and a white dress shirt. The way this suit was cut, it hugged his frame, accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs, elongated his silhouette and really emphasized his height. The dark fabric smoothed across his chest in such a way that eluded to the muscles beneath, without blatantly putting his body on display. Of course, Bruce was clean shaven as was usual, and his hair was just as glorious as ever, simply begging to be mussed. And oh did Selina ever want to muss it. She also wanted him to lose the jacket, so she could get a good look at the thin shirt beneath. And… Maybe lose the shirt too—

Selina gave herself a mental shaking before she cleared her throat and gained the attention of Bruce and Maven. And Isis, who was rubbing against and weaving through Bruce's legs until she heard Selina. A grin spread like wildfire across his face, "Gorgeous as always." Selina tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing." That actually seemed to catch him off guard. "You two have a good night, now." Maven piped in parental fashion. Selina turned to her assistant, "Thank you, Maven." "I promise I'll bring her back in one piece." Bruce earned a chuckle from Selina as she took his arm and lead the way out.

* * *

It turned out, the event was at some aristocrat's house, one who Selina didn't know but she was sure had tons of loot to eyeball. Bruce had said he'd actually been to a function at their house before, and they liked to encourage people to gawk at their mansion and the grounds. She wondered if she'd be able to pocket something right there. Probably not, but a girl can dream.

Selina enjoyed the ride, Bruce's car had the comfiest seats and the views of Gotham on the way were fantastic. Shortly after they arrived, Selina let Bruce go off and make the rounds with some socialites while she "got something to drink." Of course that wasn't total bologna, she did get a drink, but that was only a passing thought as she looked around the massive house and subtly checked out the prizes lying within. The security was pretty high by the looks of things, but it would give her something to occupy her time for a little while. After making pleasantries with a few different people—all of which were wearing interesting accessories that caught her attention—Selina was ready to find Bruce, however despite his height and the distinct way he carried himself, that man had a way of blending in to large crowds and making himself extremely difficult to find.

Selina wandered around a bit, still ogling trinkets when a person appeared beside her. "You look like you could use some company, my dear." The voice was not nearly deep enough to be Bruce and the tone in it made her skin crawl. Strange, Selina had been hit on a thousand times before, but now something was different. She shook the thought that it could be the fact she was "taken", because she totally _wasn't_, and then she looked at the false gentleman beside her. "No, but thank you. I'm perfectly fine." She replied. Judging by the look of this wolf in sheep's clothing, her polite rejection wouldn't be clear enough.

"Indeed you are." Selina thought her eye might have actually twitched from trying so hard not to roll them, "It would be an absolute pleasure to accompany a woman as lovely as you." The man replied with a smug smile. As she was prepared to give him a much less gentle let-down, she noticed his eyes shift and his face drop a little. Then a familiar hand slid across the small of her back and Selina's face grew a grin.

"Bruce, I was just looking for you!" She turned her gaze on the billionaire whose amused expression said he knew exactly what was going on. "Oh, Selina I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose you." His hand slowly slid up and down her back as he spoke. "We were just discussing how nice I look tonight" She leaned into his touch, almost subconsciously. Bruce's eyes flicked for a moment to the predator beside them, and then he allowed them to roam over Selina. "I couldn't agree more. But please, don't let me interrupt." She tilted her head slightly and directed her attention back to her unwanted pest. He had seemed to completely deflate when faced with Bruce and after giving a small greeting to him, excused himself quickly.

With a giggle, Selina shook her head. "I'm not sure if I should scold you or thank you." Bruce shrugged, "I might feel bad if I didn't know how he treats women." With a sideways glance, she playfully cocked an eyebrow. "Some might think you're no better, Mr. Wayne." She stated, drawing a chuckle. "Clearly I'm not," With another giggle, Selina accepted the kiss he gave to her cheek, "But that doesn't mean I won't swoop in and save you from other dogs." "I'll take that every time."

The pair milled about for a long while, chatting with other partygoers and generally being good guests. It was exhausting having to pretend she cared about anything those people had to say and pretend like she didn't care about their jewelry. Finally they got out on the back patio and Selina took a deep breath. The smell of rain clung to the atmosphere and elevated humidity put an extra chill in the air, but she didn't mind. It felt nice. Bruce didn't seem to mind either as he joined her in taking in a long inhale and looked out on the view of Gotham, which was obstructed somewhat by trees surrounding the property. "Want my jacket?" He asked after a few moments, but Selina gave a wave of dismissal. "No, no. I'm fine. To be honest, I was burning up in there." She fanned herself a little for punctuation. Bruce smiled and returned his focus to Gotham.

It was much quieter outside than in, although they weren't truly alone. A small part of her wished they were. A _very_ small part, she told herself. Selina enjoyed what view there was, but after a few moments, her gaze wandered up to the man standing beside her. He had a distant look in his eyes, glazed almost. It was clear his mind was far from the current events. Why was she so concerned with this? Why did she wonder what he was thinking not just now but always? Why was he so altogether mesmerizing to her? She didn't know the answers—or didn't want to face them—but when something flashed through his eyes and he turned—catching her staring in the process—she felt her heart flip in a way it only had for a pointy eared vigilante.

"You wanna get out of here?"

"Lead the way."

* * *

On the highway heading out, Selina watched scenery go by through the window and lightly bit the inside of her cheek. She knew this area pretty well, having robbed half the people on the privet properties in the vicinity. It was a hilly region on the outer limits of Gotham, lots of trees, lots of stray roads, lots of solitude. There was nothing else for her to do, she'd freed up her night for him. Maven was always waiting back at home, so Isis was taken care of and Selina didn't have any heists planned. After being cooped up and bored for so long, how could it possibly hurt to maybe just—"Take a right up here." She piped.

Bruce gave her a quick sideways glance and a raised eyebrow. "A right? Why?" He inquired. Selina gave a small smile, "Trust me." Bruce shot her one more quizzical look before he turned on the small street Selina indicated. She loved seeing the curiosity in his face as the trees parted, revealing the top of the slope, and a little alcove that overlooked the city. Stopping, Bruce's eyes widened and he leaned on the steering wheel. "Wow." He whispered. From here Gotham's lights and architecture were on full display, the now falling rain only adding to its beauty. Selina leaned over and took the keys, engine ceasing its purring and leaving them in near silence with only the pitter-patter of droplets running over the car. Bruce barely noticed.

"Selina, how do you know about this place?" He asked, gaze never leaving the city. "Pretty nice, huh? I thought you might like it." She replied softly, "I just… like to come up here sometimes." There was a pause before she looked over to him. "Do you have any other plans tonight?" Her question tore his attention away and made him focus on her with a shake of his head in reply. Selina smiled and flattened her seatback, scooting into the backseat and slipping off her shoes. "Then let's just stay here for a while." Bruce stared at her for a moment, before she visibly saw him relax and then he mimicked her actions of lowering the seat and joining her in the back while his legs stretched out forward. After a few moments, his fingers migrated over and intertwined with hers.

They relaxed and enjoyed the soothing sound and imagery around them while Selina's mind whirled, in stark contrast to such tranquility. Her cheek was going to be swiss cheese when she was done chewing on it. Casting her gaze on their meshed hands, then to the much larger hand's owner, then at her bare feet, her train of thought went back to something—else—that had been bothering her. "Um…" Bruce immediately turned his attention to her upon the soft syllable escaping. Selina swallowed thickly. "I—uh—wanted to apologize… For what I said the other day." Her voice was weak, but in the confined silence it wasn't wasted. Bruce paused, then shifted a bit so he was leaned back against the corner where the door met the upholstery and more importantly, faced her. "What was it you said?" He asked, puzzlement in his features. Selina glanced over at him, much the way a guilty animal would look, "On the phone…?" She didn't want to repeat herself and possibly agitate him again. Bruce thought back, she could see him playing their conversation over again and then…

He snickered.

"Selina, you thought I was upset because you said you don't need constant attention or apologies?" Selina finally looked him in the eye and shrugged a little. "You went silent." "Yeah. Take a wild guess at how many women I've dated in recent years who _haven't_ needed all that." She guessed the answer was none, but she only smiled a small bit in return. "That's right, zero." Leaning over, Bruce gently tucked a finger under her chin and turned her face to him. Now she had no barrier, nowhere to hide. Just his soft blue eyes piercing through her green ones. "You are one of the most unique, special people I've ever met, Selina. Not only are you stunning, but you're smart, independent and strong. Believe me when I say you are the rarest kind of woman. I guess it just really hit me, that's the only reason I didn't say anything on the phone. I wasn't mad at you, I was blown away by you." His hand fell back to hers and a gentle smile tugged the corner of his mouth. Selina stared at him for a few long seconds. "You really think that?" She whispered, earning a nod. And then she was faced with a decision. What Selina should have done was thank him and go back to her corner of the car, likely leaving a very deflated Bruce Wayne in her wake. That's what she _should_ have done.

But it isn't what Selina did.

Lifting Bruce's arm with their joined hands, she slid over and tucked herself against him, his arm then naturally wrapping around her. With her legs folded up and her fingers finding their way to his tie where they wiggled it loose, Selina was a ball coiled beneath his protective grasp. And she felt calm for the first time in weeks. The tension and stress melted under his warmth, her anxiety quelled beneath his large hands keeping her close. It hadn't been long before Bruce gently coaxed her off of himself—the absolute last thing she wanted—and then tugged his suit jacket off, careful not to elbow Selina in the process. Wrapping it around her, he settled her back into her previous position while curling one arm around her shoulders and brushing her hair out of her face with the other hand. Selina snuggled back into his hold gladly. A few minutes passed before she tilted her head up and looked at his face.

"You smell really good."

She could feel the vibrations in his chest when he laughed. "Thank you." Bruce replied. "Always, I mean." She clarified, "Handsome, funny, you smell great, you're a gentleman… Is it tough being so perfect, Mr. Wayne?" She grinned and he returned the expression. "A little, but _someone_ has to do it." His kiss to the top of her head told her he appreciated the compliment.

They ended up talking for hours. That conversation started in childhood memories—from the comment "How did you get to be so perfect anyways?"—which transitioned to talking about their school lives, which led to worst dates, which went hand in hand with worst relationships. And that led to best relationships. And that ran right into discussing emotional walls, barriers, how they both pushed most people away at some point or another. Probably why neither one was married, she observed. And finally, Selina tightened her fingers in the thin fabric of his shirt, "Are you worried about this? Us? That we'll burn out or… I don't know…" Bruce genuinely thought about it and then shook his head. "No. I'm not. I think we've got…" "Harmony?" Selina suggested, turning her green gaze up at his face. Bruce smiled. "Exactly."

Her index finger reached up and gently touched his chin as he watched her. "Are you worried about that?" Finally came the soft question. A part of Selina wished she could say yes, wished so badly she could say she saw a fiery wreck at the end of this relationship, but she just didn't. "No, I'm not." Her finger ghosted over the column of his throat and then circled the first button she encountered down on his shirt. His hand enclosed hers, halting her movements. When Selina returned her attention to his face, she could see he was asking her if she was positive. She paused, then took a deep breath. "I'm not worried. And that's what's a little scary. It's all a little scary, I suppose." Selina was about to retreat into her shell when Bruce leaned down and touched his lips to her temple, once again doing nothing but soothing her frazzled nerves. "It is." He understood. She didn't expect that. A sputtering breath exited Selina as she leaned up a bit and touched her forehead to his, feeling his long fingers gently curl around the back of her neck. Shivers shot up her spine.

They stayed like that for a long while before finally parting, and once they did, Bruce caught a glimpse of his watch. And double checked his watch. "Oh wow, it's really late." He murmured. Selina took hold of his wrist and tilted it to see two o'clock was approaching. She did a double take at his watch too. Sitting up straight and unwrapping herself from his jacket, Selina stretched as much as she could while Bruce straightened and rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders. "Okay, next time this happens we have got to make sure it's somewhere more comfortable." He groaned. Selina cocked an eyebrow and gave him a suggestive look. Bruce chuckled. "You know what I mean." She shrugged, she did know what he meant.

* * *

Selina entered her apartment, a soft glow still clinging to her. Maven popped up and came running to her like a dog who hadn't seen their owner all day and peppered her with questions. Selina barely understood them through her babbling as she made her way to the bedroom, where she flopped face first into the plush comfort waiting for her. Maven stilled at the door and tilted her head. "What's the matter? Did it not go well?" Selina shook her head against the comforter. "Tonight was amazing, Maven." Was her half muffled response while she tilted her face so her friend could hear her better. "_He's_ amazing." She whined before burying her blush back into her comforter. If Maven's eyebrows could go any higher on her face, they would have. "Oh. My. God." Oh my God was right. Selina was in deep trouble with this relationship.


	7. Through Indifferent Eyes

7.

Alfred was good at keeping to himself. That went without saying. That's what made him so good at being The Wayne's butler. And yet, that's what kept him endlessly entertained in life. He'd become a master at minding his own business while keeping enough information about situations around him to supply input when Master Bruce inevitably asked. When he asked about split personalities, Alfred could give relevant information because he knew Bruce was trying to gain a deeper understanding of Two-Face. When asked about wolves, he could supply relevant information, because he knew Bruce had been searching for a werewolf—and yes, that did happen once. When Bruce asked what he knew about cats, obviously it was about Catwoman. What intrigued Alfred was when Bruce asked him what he thought about Selina.

It wasn't long after Batman had attempted to cuff Catwoman and gotten sliced open for it… Then chased her and paid the price for that as well. He'd come back to the Batcave looking half dead and bleeding profusely, so it was on Alfred to stitch him back together. Recovering was top priority—Bruce kicked himself for chasing Catwoman so hard since it had only worsened his injury—and thus, Alfred made up an excuse for everyone including Selina. Neither of them enjoyed fibbing of course, but lying to her seemed to bother Bruce a little extra. Alfred didn't pick at the subject, but one day about a week after the Catwoman incident, he was washing dishes when the question rang out.

"What do you think of Selina?"

Taken aback somewhat by the question, Alfred turned around to face Master Bruce, who was leaning against the doorframe. He'd put on one of his patented unreadable expressions, but alas, they didn't work on Alfred. The Brit knew exactly what was going on in his head and heart—raising someone will give you that superpower. Currently, Bruce was uneasy, tense, and had been missing Selina's presence more than he was willing to admit. Grabbing a nearby hand towel, Alfred dried his digits so they weren't dripping all over the recently cleaned floor and considered Selina for a few moments—moments that no doubt felt painfully long—before coming to a conclusion. "I'm afraid I don't know enough about Ms. Kyle to give an opinion on her character, sir." Bruce's shoulders sagged. "I know she's polite, she seems a wee bit sassy, although never offensive. She's got a good sense of humor too, but beyond that…" Alfred offered, earning a nod but clearly not giving what he wanted to receive.

"May I ask why you want my opinion, sir?" He piped. Bruce shifted his weight and turned his gaze to his toes. "Just curious." He mumbled. Although he didn't leave, he also didn't look up as he knew Alfred's indifferent gaze would coax a real answer from him. Arching an eyebrow, Alfred soon returned to his work but spoke back to Bruce, "If you're having trouble with Ms. Kyle—" "No no, it's not that." Bruce corrected quickly. So it was _something_, then. Alfred smiled to himself and stayed quiet, listening to a soft groan then footsteps as Bruce padded off. "You shouldn't even be up by the way. You should be resting." Alfred stated loud enough for Bruce to hear, receiving some whining from down the hallway in return.

That boy didn't even realize what he was feeling or worse, was trying to deny feeling it. Alfred knew darn well the reason he'd asked. Bruce was missing Selina, he'd spent quite a bit of time with her and perhaps it had become habit. Now, they'd been separated for a week and the part of Bruce that truly cared about her was stirring, but his stubborn side didn't want to face those butterflies. Feeling unsure, no doubt because who could even remember the last time he'd had anything resembling a serious relationship, the emotions involved now were quite foreign. Alfred wasn't sure what Bruce had wanted to hear, whether he wanted assurance about Selina or a reason to flee from her, but he did know that as soon as he could give a real answer, he'd do just that.

* * *

After another week, that lovely lady was back and had accepted the invitation to go to the charity benefit Alfred had deemed worthy of Bruce's attention. As Bruce got ready, Alfred stood patiently and waited for him, the man sliding on his suit jacket and buttoning it. "Which car will you be taking tonight, sir?" Alfred inquired. Expression vacant with the exception of a critical gleam in his eye of his own reflection, Bruce finally shrugged. "I don't have a preference." Alfred quirked an eyebrow at him.

Bruce fixed his cufflinks and strode out of the room with his trusty butler not far behind. Heading to the elevator leading down to the Batcave, Bruce explained he wanted to check one last time and be sure Catwoman wasn't out tonight, that no reports of her or anything akin to her were present. With a few clicks of the keys, he'd soon brought up several different pieces of information with each scanning in one way or another for Catwoman. The police scanner brought nothing new, bugs placed in various locations brought nothing new, and no alarms had been triggered tonight. An irritated sigh left Master Bruce. "I've got to catch her, Alfred." He said softly, eyes fixed on the screens before them. Alfred placed his hand sympathetically on Bruce's shoulder. "You will. But no good ever came from worrying about what we can't control, just give it some time." His words seemed to—temporarily—soothe his Master's concerns. "Now, I believe you have a young lady to pick up, wouldn't want to be late." Alfred's voice took a chipper tone… Well, chipper for Alfred, and snapped Bruce back to his current engagements. "Right, right. Thank you." He stood to full height and straightened his jacket as he bid Alfred adieu.

That night, Alfred kept himself busy with cleaning the rest of the mansion, reading some more of The Odyssey which he had started on the night before, worrying when Bruce didn't come home, then pacing in his room for a long while deciding whether to go to bed or wait up to ensure he wasn't going to be mending a torn apart Batman again. Sometime after two-thirty in the middle of the night when he finally heard Bruce's presence downstairs, Alfred couldn't help running out like a dog who hadn't seen its owner all day.

"Master Bruce! I've been worried, did something happen? Was Batman required?" Alfred called before reaching the banister. Bruce dismissed his worries and climbed up the stairs two at a time, before he started right by Alfred. "No. Sorry to worry you, go get some sleep." He said as he passed, not making eye contact with the butler. _That_ was not going to be good enough tonight, no sir. Bruce's clothes were not in disarray like if he and Selina had gone and had some _special fun alone time_, he was not battered and beaten like he had done some vigilante work, and his demeanor suggested he wanted to bolt to his room like a child with a pocket full of candy they weren't supposed to have. "Master Bruce, you're sure nothing is wrong?" Alfred's question came out much more parental than he had intended, but judging by the way Bruce paused and rubbed the back of his neck, he knew he had sufficiently pulled the guilt out of his subject.

Turning to face him, Bruce looked Alfred in the face and ignored the flicker of curiosity that flashed through his butler's eyes. "Yeah, everything's fine. We just lost track of time." He gave a weak smile that didn't keep the real one wanting to shine through down very well. Alfred's curiosity turned to surprise, then complete amusement. But he thought he hid that nicely… At least better than Bruce was hiding whatever wanted to bubble up and burst from him. "Good night, Alfred." He stated, spinning on his heel and leaving for his room without another word.

Alfred finally let the corner of his mouth quirk upwards. "Good Lord." He muttered to himself, with a slight shake of his head. He hadn't seen Bruce so downright jump-up-and-click-your-heels _ecstatic_ in ages. Popping back into his room, Alfred released a breath of tension and chuckled softly. Whatever had happened—and he did get the feeling Bruce would spill the beans to him sooner or later—had left that man on cloud nine. In his own little emotionally stunted way.

* * *

Over the next month and a half, Alfred noticed an increase in the amount of time Bruce spent with Selina, and the amount of time she spent at the mansion. In fact, he didn't remember feminine products making their way under the bathroom sink. Regardless, she was in their space quite a bit but she wasn't an imposition. Most of the time, she was either with Bruce or out of the way and Alfred barely noticed her. She didn't avoid him though, as some people seemed to—like talking to him was against the rules or beneath them—no, she asked him how he was doing and if he had any plans while his "slave master" was out and what he wanted for Christmas, but she never disrupted what he was doing only to occupy him with mindless, meaningless chatter. He liked that, preferred it to the air-head women he usually escorted out once their use had been fulfilled who would talk his ear off.

Bruce and Selina had started watching a movie every Friday night, possibly two if they felt like it. Not only was it something they both thoroughly enjoyed, but the simple activity also gave them an escape from nosey onlookers and any media attention. Privacy and quiet domesticity. Movie Night was quickly becoming a ritual of sorts, and Alfred found it not only amusing, but rather cute as well. The pair watching any number of action or horror movies because "Romantic comedies are for squares" as Selina put it, while they were snuggled up on the couch, discussing the chosen film and questioning plot holes was nothing short of adorable.

Alfred knew Selina brought some normality to Bruce's life, and that was one of the greatest possible compliments. He could see it in the way Bruce looked at her, she was slowly softening his heart, making him feel safe opening up to her and letting her in. And in subtle ways, he was beginning to think he could see some of that in Selina too. She was harder to read—likely because he hadn't spent just about every waking moment with her since birth—but that look was unmistakable. They had a genuine relationship, not just physical, not just when it was convenient, but an honest to God relationship. Nothing could have made Alfred happier for his Master.

* * *

Fall had come to Gotham, bringing with it breezy days and chilled rains. One day, Alfred was chaffering the pair to dinner, but there was a planned stop Bruce had to make. With ordinary errands, he simply would have bumped them to a different time, but this wasn't ordinary nor was it an errand. And Alfred always drove when it was time to visit Tomas and Martha's gravesite, as occasionally Bruce would get lost in thought. He didn't like to find out he'd ended up spending half a day in his own mind. Selina was gracious, didn't mind a bit, asked if she should stay in the car or if he wanted her with him. That brought a smile to Alfred's face. Proof, he thought, that Master Bruce had a good woman on his hands. Of course, she was given a dismissal and told he wouldn't be long.

When Alfred parked, Bruce gave a quick affirmation he would hurry before slipping out and leaving them in silence. Alfred glanced back to see Selina's eyes trained on the man leaving them. There was a concentration in her gaze, deep thought. "Everything alright, Ms. Kyle?" Alfred asked gently. Her head snapped forward and she nodded. "Oh yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Alfred." He gave a slight acknowledgement before falling into silence once more.

After a few minutes of Selina's green eyes staring after Bruce, she finally piped back up. "Alfred?" He looked at her in the rearview mirror, "How bothered is he still? From the robbery, I mean." She looked back at his reflection. Alfred blinked a few times. "I'd say very, given what was taken." He replied, earning an expression that could only be described as puzzled. "Why? From what I heard, it was only some jewelry they got. I'm not sure why he was keeping it or anything, but… Couldn't he just have them replaced?" Selina leaned forward a bit as she spoke. Alfred's face grew more serious, "Oh dear, you don't know?" Her brow furrowed and he continued, "Ms. Kyle, I'm afraid it wasn't just some jewelry that thief stole. She took Mrs. Wayne's pearls." Selina's eyes widened and her jaw went slack.

"B-Bruce's mother's…?" She stammered. Alfred nodded, "I'm afraid so. After that night, the police were able to recover all but one of those pearls, a miracle really when you consider how they'd scattered," He took a solemn breath, "I decided to have them restrung. We kept the necklace and earrings because they were her favorites. Just a small reminder of what a lovely woman she was. Bruce had those and his father's pocket watch in the old safe." Selina slowly leaned back, her face changing from stunned to something between shock and nausea. He sighed softly. "We're just praying she hasn't sold them yet—" "She hasn't." Alfred glanced at the mirror, catching a split second of an unguarded Selina who quickly met his gaze. "I'm sure she hasn't…" She seemed to correct herself, but Alfred shook off the suspicion. He was really spending too much time around Batman. "Regardless, that's why Master Bruce is so very distraught." He added.

Selina's eyes had fallen out her own window, an absence filling her features. Curious. Alfred knew she cared about Bruce, he knew she had a sweetness under her sassy attitude, but she seemed deeply disturbed by the new knowledge. She had gone pale, quiet and her posture had clammed up. Alfred turned and glanced back, gaining her attention. "Please don't worry, Ms. Kyle. We have complete faith in Commissioner Gordon and the rest of the police." He stated. She showed a small smile, nodded a bit, got him to return to his prior position, and when he peeked at the rearview mirror her expression had gone right back to what it was.

After a little while, Bruce came trotting back up to the car and Selina popped out of her daze. "Okay," He shut the door behind himself and settled in, "Ready when you are." Alfred nodded and started car off to their next destination. Checking back, he observed the usual melancholy that hung over Bruce, the same one that always clung to him after a visit to their grave, before Selina's hand crept over and gently rested on his thigh, just above his knee. She looked somewhat worried still, but when Bruce's eyes fell on her, she smiled a knowing little smile and seemed to cut through some of the glum fog that enveloped him. His fingers curled around hers, and then Alfred returned his attention to the road. He had an odd feeling about these events that just transpired with Selina, but he chose not to think about it. This wasn't his business… He didn't think.

* * *

The following morning, Alfred was cooking breakfast when Bruce strolled into the kitchen and leaned against the counter with a yawn. "Morning, Alfred." He smiled wearily as sleep still made his eyelids heavy. "Good morning Master Bruce. Sleep well?" He earned a hum of confirmation. Bruce leaned over and checked what he was making—french toast, because drizzly mornings were perfect for french toast—then giving a hum of approval. Alfred smiled some and handed him a full plate, which Bruce scampered off with gladly. He could put away food like a growing teenager. Soon, Alfred brought out a glass of milk and set it on the table, Bruce thanking him and then returning his attention to the daily paper.

**"Joker Escapes Arkham Asylum; City Clutched by Terror"**

And with a sigh, Bruce continued reading. Alfred couldn't help but sigh as well, Batman's work was truly never done. Apparently growing sick of Joker stories only a short while later, Bruce cast the news aside next to breakfast and ran a hand down his face. He knew no mere straight jacket could contain that lunatic, that's why he'd protested vehemently against such "lax treatment", but he was assured all would be fine, nothing could go wrong, and pigs would fly but lo and behold. Alfred sought to remove his mind from being Batman for a few moments. "I believe I have a better answer, Master Bruce." Weary eyes lifting to Alfred's voice, Bruce only blinked a few times. "About Ms. Kyle." He clarified. Once he remembered what this was all about, Bruce's interest grew exponentially and he leaned back, putting on his listening ears.

Alfred cleared his throat softly and gathered his thoughts. "Ms. Kyle is a peculiar woman, very rare indeed. I don't believe I've ever met another lady with self-confidence like hers, she has a powerful sense of self, not unlike you, sir." Bruce gave a tip of his head to acknowledge the compliment, "Now, she's got _some_ flaws," Bruce's gut flipped, "I believe she tends to bury her true emotions, rather than be outright with them." "Also not unlike me?" Alfred chuckled and Bruce gave a smirk back, "I would never _say_ such a thing about you, sir." The unspoken words being, "I wouldn't _say_ that, but it's true", however after fixing his cufflink the Englishman continued, "Well, Ms. Kyle is quite talented at concealing her thoughts. This can be good or bad, depending on context. She's not one to misspeak, either. She's a very composed woman who doesn't let her guard down easily, is my impression." He watched Bruce chew the inside of his cheek slightly, "However," But he wasn't done, "I must say, sir, she seems very much at ease around you. When she's graced us with her company, it doesn't feel as if she's putting on a face to impress or putting up a fence to detach. And when in that state, she blends right in here, frankly. Overall I find her quite remarkable and very pleasant. Besides, you seem happier around her too, sir." And a nod punctuated his findings.

He wondered for a moment if he'd said something that Bruce hadn't noticed about Selina and suddenly didn't like. Or if he'd tuned out and thought back to the Joker. His expression was apprehensive, his body language even more so, but before Alfred could ask the question, Bruce answered. "I am. She's just… perfect." He paused and swallowed thickly, "I'm crazy about her, Alfred." The syllables were little more than a breath, "I think about her when I'm out on patrol, when I'm training, when I'm reading police reports. Constantly." His tone had fallen to a hush, but Alfred heard each word for as blaringly loud as they were. "It's starting to feel like she's the puzzle piece to a space I didn't know was vacant," Bruce shook his head some and ran his fingers through his hair, "And it's scaring the hell out of me." With a slightly bitter laugh, he turned his gaze to his lap, "I deal with psychopaths, murderers, mutants and freaks, and I'm not afraid. I trained for that. I trained for _them_. But Selina? Terrifying." His eyes found Alfred's again, "How can I be with her? Truly? I'm Batman. All it takes is one freak, one murderer, one _Joker_ figuring out who I am and suddenly she's…" His voice trailed, and Alfred's stomach sank.

The word he couldn't bring himself to say was _dead._

Silence lingered between them, Alfred feeling the gravity of what Bruce had carried around for Lord knows how long and attempting to come up with an answer for it. But there was none. No matter how close they got, no matter how well Selina fit in their lives, no matter what, being near Bruce brought a sense of danger and it seemed he was growing less and less fond of Selina being anywhere near said danger. Taking a breath, Alfred did manage to finally respond. "Master Bruce, I believe you are the one that has said, "Where there's love, there's hope," did you not?" Bruce's eyes widened at that pesky little word, but reluctantly nodded, "Then perhaps you just need to have hope. Hope for… An ideal situation." Alfred smiled a bit, and Bruce took a deep breath before nodding again. "Thank you. And I agree with your assessment, by the way."

As Alfred turned to leave him be for a while, Bruce piped up, "Alfred," The butler turned, "Don't use that "L" word again, okay?" He gave a weak smile. Sass flashed through Alfred's eyes. "I would never _say_ such a thing." He got a smug expression in return, and as he stepped into the kitchen, he threw back, "I doubt Ms. Kyle would _say_ such a thing either, sir." Alfred only wished he had seen Bruce's face.


	8. Secrets and Philophobics

8.

Even at seven in the morning, it had already been a long day as Bruce strode through the Batcave, trusty butler a few steps behind him like usual, and gave a quick check to his computer. Nothing on Catwoman, although there was something in the police scanner about a murder scene, three victims—a family, probably Joker he figured—which meant he was going to have a very long night. Like all the other nights over the last two weeks. Alfred had been filtering calls through to him all morning, which had also been the case for several days now. It was non-stop people wanting his focus, an absolute onslaught that had Bruce silently wanting to bash his head into a wall. And most of all, between the sleepless nights and the crazy days at work, he was drained. Mentally and physically depleted.

"I'd be surprised if I'm home before three tonight." Bruce stated. "Going on a cat hunt again, are we sir?" Came the monotone reply. "Partially," Straightening up, Bruce clicked through a few more things, "But my attention has to be given primarily to Joker." He watched the equipment carefully, keeping his fatigued gaze sharp.

Alfred's voice turned serious. "What do you think he's up to this time?" He received a groan, "It's almost impossible to guess. All I can do is try to find him before he pulls anything and stay alert for potential targets." Bruce crossed his arms and Alfred gave a solemn nod. "Of course, you can't catch him or Catwoman if you pass out, sir." The Brit added. Bruce gave him a look devoid of amusement, "I appreciate your concern, Alfred. I'll be fine, especially when work lightens up." With that, he turned and started toward his gallery of cars. "Ahh yes, you've got that deal to work out today." The butler followed after him, "I would still recommend pacing yourself, Master Bruce. You've haven't truly slept in over a week." With a wave of his hand, Bruce simultaneously thanked him and brushed him off.

* * *

"I'm gonna be tied up here... For a while… No… Yeah."

Bruce sifted through some papers on his desk, his office phone in one hand while an unfriendly set of eyes watched him carefully from the chair opposite. The man was a representative from a competing—if you can call it a competition—company that had interest in working with Wayne Industries on a "project." They had some key resources and if a deal could be reached, they'd both profit from it and, well then it was one less enemy in the world… For now. Rather than play phone tag and jumble everything up, Bruce insisted on in-person meetings at _his_ office. And made life difficult on them when some dishonest paragraphs were discovered in the outline. This didn't go over well, hence that dirty look on the visitor's face.

Paying him no mind, Bruce plucked out the paper he'd been looking for and ran his gaze over it while he hummed confirmation into the receiver. "Mmhm… Yeah, it's them," His gaze peeked up and found his disgruntled guest looking somewhat confused at the mention of his presence, "Nothing can ever be easy, it seems." And Bruce earned a glare. It rolled off his shoulders like water on a duck and he continued gathering papers. "But, it could be beneficial, so I'm stuck here until it's all sorted out… That's very true… Mmhm… I'm gonna miss you too…" A deep chuckle rumbled in his throat, "Duty calls… Alright, talk to you later, Selina. Bye." And he replaced the receiver on its mount.

"Are you quite finished making _personal calls_?" "Are you quite finished trying to weasel loopholes into our deal?" Bruce kept his focus on what he needed to accomplish as he picked out two more sheets of paper and held one up for example. "You need us, you know." The rep snipped. He wished he hadn't as Bruce raised his gaze and sent a chilling stare along with a deep growl, "Not half as much as you need us." And he was left to sift in peace after that. He compiled six papers out of the large stack and tapped them into neat unison before handing them across the desk. "I assume this is what you find appalling?" His guest murmured. "No, that's what I find acceptable," The man's gaze shot up and his eyes widened, "This all could use some tweaking." Bruce sat and leaned back in his chair with a smile. "Where should we start?"

* * *

Most of the day was gone and the sun was almost set by the time Bruce released his fellow sufferer, who shook his hand. "I suppose we'll be in touch, Mr. Wayne." Bruce gave a nod, some pleasantries and then shut the door behind the exiting intruder. With a sigh, he shrugged off his suit jacket and slung it over one of the guest chairs, before running a hand over his face. It was grueling. So many people to deal with all the time and twice as many files that needed attending. And that was just his day job. Now, he had to wait for some faxes to come through, his upset little friend having promised he'd get them finished and faxed that night.

He looked out on the city to calm his nerves, everything to the horizon bathed in pink hues of sunset, cars packing the streets with everyone rushing home—well, everyone but him, it seemed. Loosening his tie, Bruce stepped around and returned to his seat, wheeling up and starting on some of the paperwork that currently needed to be dealt with. The never ending flow of paperwork that needed to be dealt with. It wasn't anything that couldn't wait, but he had to do something to keep his mind going or it might have shut down. And it felt like he'd been at it for hours—although it had really only been one—when his phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Still got crap to do?"

Bruce smiled when her voice piped through the other end of the line. Selina's was the only one he wanted to hear right now. The voice he needed to hear. "Some."

"How much?"

"Once they fax me what I need, not a lot. But how long it could take them to do that is a different story."

"Hmm… Have you eaten or do you plan to in the near future?"

His eyebrow arched at that, "No and not particularly. Why—"

"Ooh, I'm afraid that's classified, my dear. Don't worry about it, though."

"Probably doesn't concern me anyways, right?"

"Probably not. But I'm not at liberty to discuss it either way."

"It out ranks me."

"Above your pay grade, you could say." She paused, and then her sweet laugh filtered through the other end, "Well, I have to be going."

"Places to go, people to see, hmm?"

"Something like that." Selina purred before her line went dead. Laughing softly, Bruce hung up as well and continued what he was doing, but in slightly higher spirits. Selina was tricky, full of surprises, when you thought she was going to go left, she went right, up, and over. That woman was plotting something, he just wasn't sure what.

Leaning on his elbow with his chin planted on the heel of his palm, close to another hour flew out the window. And the number of documents that he filled out with one hand working the keyboard was alarming. If this was an Olympic sport, he'd have found his calling. His eyes were half lidded, pleading with their owner to rest, just for a few minutes—or hours, or days—but he didn't have the time for that. He would sleep when he got time. As engaging as the mindless boss-work was, a small jolt of surprise struck him when a knock sounded on his office doors. Bruce paused and peered over his computer screen. "Come in." He said. Swinging open, a familiar face poked in and Selina gave a wide smile when she saw him. Bruce leaned back and shook his head a bit.

"Something told me I'd be seeing you." He stated, a lazy smile forming in response to hers. "You're a genius, so I'd be worried if you weren't expecting this." She stepped in and closed to door behind her. Of course, Selina was as beautiful as ever, her boots working to elongate her legs, her jeans displaying her hips, her shirt no doubt sagging off one shoulder beneath her jacket, and her face almost glowed even with very little makeup, but he observed the way one arm was tucked behind her back, a white plastic bag hanging in its clutches and her jacket pockets bulging out. "How'd you get in? The lobby closed ten minutes ago." Bruce managed, although he stayed fixated on trying to see into her mystery bag. "I slipped the guard a twenty to let me in without saying anything," Selina replied before her expression turned perplexed, "I think you need new security, by the way." Bruce smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

Stepping in front of his desk, Selina set the bag down—which looked to be full of boxes—and began to work open the tight knot the handles made. "I heard a rumor you got held prisoner here with no food and nothing to drink," She unraveled the knot and rummaged around before she started unpacking take-out containers, "And figured since I _happened_ to be in the neighborhood of this little Chinese place that's just delicious as can be," She set a pair of chopsticks and a napkin close to him, then took out her own set, "I might as well bring some to my poor Bruce and try to brighten up his evening a bit." His eyes followed her as she moved, captivated and unable to focus on much else. He listened, but between her and her loving—no, _sweet_, it was a _sweet_ gesture, none of that "L" word, his normal banter with her had dried up in place of something else, something that made his throat tighten. Certainly none of that "L" word, though.

Reaching into her jacket's pockets, Selina pulled out two cans of soda which had miraculously managed to stay cold, and gestured with one, "Although I am sorry I didn't have anything stronger, it sure sounds like you could use it." Then she placed it on his side of the desk and shed her coat, tossing it haphazardly on to the next chair over. "Good?" She asked, with a slight tilt of her head. He smiled softly at the woman across from him who, in literally every way, was simply, "Perfection."

Selina scooted her chair closer to the desk and started to sit when she froze halfway down. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Her worry was adorable. Bruce shook his head, "No, not at all." She relaxed again and finished easing down into her chair. "I took a guess at what you'd like." She stated as he reached and started popping open the boxes. "Looks like you chose well." He replied before breaking apart his chopsticks. She mimicked the action. "Thank you, Selina." He said, and he did mean for more than just the food. Her gaze snapped up and she seemed to understand that, judging by the gentle smile she showed. "You're welcome." She then grabbed a container and began mixing its contents around with her utensils, "Dig in, you're wasting away." And with a laugh, he followed suit.

As they ate, they discussed their days, who was driving them crazy, how Isis had been trying to get out lately and subsequently got taken to the vet for shots, how Maven had been watching a lot of "Cash Cab" recently and strangely, so had Alfred once or twice when he thought Bruce wasn't around. The conversation was leisurely, natural, as it usually was, but in the relaxed environment, sleep deprivation was quickly catching up to him.

When Bruce was done and Selina was finishing up, she asked him how he was doing, said that he looked stressed. Somehow, he was actually caught off guard. Not many people besides Alfred could see through his guises of constant flawlessness. As the head of the company, it was his job to be strong and steady at all times, as Batman—not that she needed to know about that—it was his job to be brutally tough, cold and hardened toward whatever he may face. And of course, in public there was a persona he had to project, it was his obligation. Being stressed, worried, tired, _human_, were things he kept underneath all else. Perhaps that's why he lov—_felt the way he did_ about Selina. She saw the person under the CEO, under the cowl, under the image he hid behind at all times—

"Bruce?"

He blinked a few times when her voice cut through his train of thought. "Huh?" "I asked you how you're holding up and you went blank." Bruce mentally shook himself and watched a puzzled look cross Selina's face. "Uh… Sorry, I heard you I just," Judging by the way her expression changed into a curious little smile, he guessed something was happening on his own face that told her where his thoughts had wandered, "Bunny trailed." Clearing his throat, Bruce stacked a few empty containers within themselves and turned his gaze away from hers. "You've seemed a little off all day—" "I'm okay." But he wasn't. When he caught her eyes again, Selina was leering at him, studying him, pulling answers from him without his consent. She'd picked up a skill of his, it appeared. Ripping information out of people was usually his specialty, Bruce wasn't used to being the one pinned under an interrogating stare. Normally it wouldn't even work, but between how weary he felt and the fact that it was Selina…

Reclining back into his chair and leaning his elbow on the rest, Bruce cracked. "I'm exhausted, Selina." He lightly rubbed his eyes, "Completely and in every way." He took a deep breath before he brought his gaze to hers, "But it isn't looking like there's relief in sight." Selina's brow was furrowed, her jade eyes fixated on him, her humor gone. "You've got to take a day off—" "I can't." Selina stood, "What good will you do anyone if you're dead?" Her voice was stern. Bruce grumbled a bit, something like "Yeah I know," but that wasn't going to be enough for her.

Selina stepped around his desk and he turned his chair to meet her. Her hands landed on the armrests and she leaned to eyelevel with him. "I'm serious. This is how you kill yourself. You don't sleep and you get sick, then you keel over. And what good will you be to your company or anybody else if you're a walking zombie?" She might have had a point there. But he _couldn't_.

Selina paused, then she stepped up closer, between his legs, and gently placed her hands on either side of his face. "Plus," Her voice changed, it was a little lower, softer, "I hate seeing you stretch yourself so thin, you're not _you_ like this," Her thumb trailed across his cheekbone, "And I… Am pretty darn fond of you." She showed a small, almost playful smile, but something about that last part felt like a letdown. Bruce wasn't quite sure what—he knew _exactly_ what, but that pesky little word was not allowed in his vocabulary, no matter how much it kept popping up—so he brushed it off and took her words for what they meant. Hands trailing up the side of her legs until they found her hips, he matched her smile, "And you call all the shots, right?" Selina shrugged a little, "Of course." She piped back. Bruce chuckled, then leaned forward and rested his forehead against her stomach.

Her fingers raked through his hair, one hand staying there and one moving down to his back, where she gently ran her nails up and down the broad expanse. Her body, her touch, her scent, her voice, it was enough to lull him into realizing she was right. He desperately needed to forgo patrolling tonight and catch forty winks, or he'd probably wrap the Batmobile around a tree or end up getting shot. Bruce was still coming to terms with that when his arms curled themselves around Selina, pulling her in tighter. Her soothing touch could have put him clean out right there, but he fought that off. There were much better ways of spending their time than passing out on her.

Bruce pulled back, shifting in his seat before spinning her around and pulling her down beside him. Partially on him. _Mostly_ on him. The squeak of surprise she emitted was adorable, but once she got her bearings, Selina slung her legs sideways over his and settled in with what could only be equated to a purr. "This is my preferred seating arrangement, you know." She drawled. "I'd have to agree with that." He murmured. Leaning in, she trailed her lips across his, but hovered, teasing—more like torturing—him. And then she continued questioning, "You are going to listen to me, right?" "Of course." "_Bruce_." Her voice was stern, almost chastising. Without warning, he pulled her in and planted a soft kiss on her, feeling her muscles ease and some of her ferocity dissipate. Releasing her, Bruce looked Selina in the eye and cupped her cheek, "I swear, I'll go straight home and right to bed—" "I'll drive you straight home so you don't fall asleep at the wheel," "You'll drive me straight home so I don't fall asleep at the wheel and then I'll go right to bed." "…Promise?" "Promise." Finally, her wrath fizzled out and she turned, pressing her lips against his calloused palm.

It was quite a while they stayed there, increasingly less gentle kisses and some roaming hands filling the majority of their time. When her teeth gave a light tug to his lower lip or his fingers brushed across the exposed skin on her neck and shoulder, a little more heat seemed to fill the air. Then, "Bruce?" Selina pulled away and spoke up. His mind wasn't exactly on answering anything, but he did respond, "Hmm?" She didn't pause, did stammer in her question, didn't even sound unsure if she should be saying it out loud especially given their current situation, the woman just spit it out, "Why haven't we had sex yet?" Bruce nearly choked.

Leaning back a bit and looking her square in her face—her completely unfazed face—he blinked. "I don't know, I guess it just hasn't—do you want to?" Her angelic laugh rang out. "I was just wondering. I mean, when was the last time you had a relationship where you didn't immediately go to bed with them?" She explained and a small smirk tugged at his mouth. "So you're asking me why the infamous playboy hasn't jumped you yet?" Surprise hit Selina's face, "Oh no! I didn't mean it like that! I meant me too, either of us." Bruce chuckled and kissed her cheek, affirming her that he hadn't been hurt in any way. She relaxed.

Considering her questions for a moment—which were sounding more and more like why don't you _want to_ with me?—he leaned back in the chair and absently ran his fingertips up and down her thigh. "No, I understand what you're saying, you're right." She rested her head against the back of the chair, "But, personally, it hasn't been something I've wanted to rush into with you." Selina's eyebrow quirked up and she gave him a look that said "And just what's _wrong _with me?" Bruce grinned at her, "Not because of anything physical. _Certainly_ not that," His eyes gave her a once over for emphasis, appreciating the way she tried to look huffy but was smothering down a smile. "It's just…" He paused, gathering words together, trying to label what it was exactly, "I dunno, I haven't wanted to feel any pressure from that, or to put any pressure on you. When there's nothing to a relationship, I tend to jump in the sack too fast, then things become more tense and disjointed than they were in the first place. With us, it's just so easy and free-flowing, there's substance. We've had such depth to explore. For the first time in a while, I wanted more than just meaningless sex. I wanted _you_ to be more than just meaningless sex."

Selina's eyes glazed over as she listened to Bruce, and there was a bout of silence before she trailed a finger over the hollow of his throat, making his breath hitch. "I am more to you than that, aren't I?" She said in little more than a whisper, less a question and more a confirmation. He nodded some, "You're precious, Selina." She smiled, sweeping her full lips across his. "You're precious to me too." She breathed, looking at her hand for a moment as it slid down and across his chest in a slow circular pattern, "I don't think we have to avoid it anymore." And her viridian eyes locked with his. His muscles tensed, his blood was lit on fire and as he locked lips with her—

The fax machine sprang to life, a few beeps sounding out before the droning buzz of printing papers filled the office.

They froze, separated, and glanced over at important files layering on top of one another. Bruce could have pitched that machine. With a sigh, Selina kissed his cheek and swiveled her legs off of him, gaining his assistance in standing up. And giving him a painfully wonderful view of her backside in the process. "Well, I'll clean up and you can finish those," She gestured to the faxes, "I caught a train, so you'll get your car back when you get it back." Flashing him a cheeky smile, Selina stepped around to her former seat and began packing up trash in the plastic bag. With a soft, almost inaudible groan, Bruce forced himself up and moved to his fax machine. Or, what it would now be known as: The Spawn of Satan. Taking the papers back to his desk, he scanned through them quickly—nothing had gotten changed in the shock of the century—and so he went to work putting finishing touches on them.

Bruce tucked them away in a drawer once he was done and stood, grabbing his suit jacket on the way to the door. "Oh, look." Selina's voice sounded cheerful. He followed her gaze out his window to see small snowflakes beginning to float down from the heavens. "Winter is coming way too fast, if you ask me." He stated. Selina shrugged a bit, "It's closing in pretty quick, but I've always loved the snow. So long as I'm not stuck in it." She earned a chuckle before taking his arm and letting him lead the way out. "And we're still on for Friday, right?" She looked up at Bruce and he smiled, "We're always on for Friday."

* * *

The next night, Batman lurked in the darkened office of Jim Gordon. He'd not been there long when Jim strolled in and turned on the lights. Gordon didn't even jump upon discovering his presence, it was second nature by now, he knew what to expect. "I'm assuming you're here to discuss our clown problem?" He piped, shutting the door behind him. "There have been five families brutally murdered in less than a week and they're all connected to him." Batman turned to The Commissioner as he spoke, earning a cocked eyebrow.

Jim sipped his coffee as he stepped to his chair and slowly sat down. "Not that I'm surprised, but how did you figure that out?" Before the words were out of his mouth, Batman seemed to almost spawn a folder out of nowhere from under his cape and set it on Gordon's desk. "Look what the father of each family did in his spare time." Jim flipped open the folder and began reading through its pages. "They were all hired help of him or a cohort of his at some point…" He mumbled, sighing. "I knew some of them looked familiar, but their bodies were so badly mangled." His eyes turned over his glasses at his ally. Batman stayed stoic.

Leaning back in his seat and setting his coffee down, Commissioner Gordon's wheels were turning. "So do you think the hired help are all in trouble?" He asked, rubbing his chin a bit as he spoke. Batman shook his head. "No, I don't think that's it. I think some of them were going to talk, give up his location. The fact they all had families meant he was probably threatening them in some way. Maybe to come help him with whatever he's planning, and when they didn't…" He let the words hang in the air, Jim slowly nodding, "Rather than kill one squealer and send their family running to the police, he just decided to tie up all the loose ends. Kids included." The hatred that permeated his voice was chilling, but The Commissioner understood it, even felt it himself.

Groaning softly, Jim removed his glasses and slid his hand down his face, "What are we gonna do, old friend?" Batman took a deep breath, "We're going to find him and catch him, like we always have, like we always will." He said with divine confidence. Gordon rubbed his eyes before slipping on his glasses and taking a swig of coffee. "The question is how much do we have to lose this time before we accomplish that." He turned and Batman was gone, the gaping window letting in a gentle breeze. Shaking his head he grumbled some and began going back through his victims' files.

* * *

Even through the downpour outside Selina had come over for Movie Night as she did every week, shedding her jacket and shaking some rain out of her hair. They debated what to watch for a while, but settled on Die Hard, because a little Christmas spirit sounded good. Snuggled up together on the couch, Bruce let a great deal of his attention fall to the woman curled up under a blanket, her arms wrapped around his midsection, resting her cheek on his chest. He tried to keep his focus on the movie—since it was a pretty great movie and they had a rule, no repeats for two months—but her little movements, her hands tightening on him when action scenes got intense, her warmth, was all making it increasingly difficult to pay attention. And he was having this same problem on more than one Movie Night.

Bruce had noticed for a while now that all those little things about her that he had liked before, noticed, paid a little thought to but not much, were starting to drive him wild. Like the way she bit her lip. She did that when she was being playful, flirting, but Selina didn't realize she did it when deep in thought—like when she was trying to follow the plot of 2001: A Space Odyssey and failing—or hung up on the suspense of something—like during Alien—without fail, her teeth would snag that luscious lip. He would find himself entrapped by the image of Selina ruffling her hair out when she'd sit up—not out of vanity but almost to shake the drowsiness out. It was endearing and driving him up the wall, how she would keep the blanket wrapped around herself to go get something from the kitchen, how she wiggled to get comfortable way more often than she realized, how she would stand and endlessly wait for him to lay in the correct position before situating herself on top of him, even the fact that she didn't care for "girly" movies was insanely attractive. There was so much more, all of her little quirks, and they just made him want to kiss her senseless.

Of course, their last encounter had only added fuel to the fire in his stomach for her.

A little more than halfway through, Alfred stepped in and piped up, "Master Bruce?" Looking back over the couch, Bruce could tell it was important, so he paused the glorious, bullet-riddled action and turned his attention to his butler. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but you have a phone call from Wayne Enterprises, sir." Bruce sighed and looked at Selina, who'd propped herself up on her forearms. She gestured with a tilt of her head. "What are you waiting for? Get in there." She added with a smile. Bruce gave her a kiss on the cheek, said he'd be right back and slid out from under her. Work was going to make sure he stayed away from Selina.

On the phone in his study, it seemed the science division wanted his approval for… Something. He was trying to pull necessary information from them, but they were running their mouths in circles, very nervous about talking to him and very excited about their research. Work was going to make certain he never saw Selina again. Burying his face in his palm, he sighed, "Slow. Down. And tell me what you want." He tried not to sound as agitated as he was. But he was guessing he failed by the way apologies began pouring through his phone. Hearing a creak in the door, he looked up to see Selina leaning against the doorframe, wrapped in the blanket, an amused grin sprawled on her face. Bruce shook his head a bit and shrugged at her, making her giggle. He listened for a moment, then covered the speaking end with his hand, "I'm going to scream." He half spoke and half mouthed to her, causing another giggle. "Life's hard on a billionaire company owner." She whispered back with a wink before pushing off her shoulder and disappearing down the hall. He grinned after her and then mentally returned to his call.

Finally getting a halfway decent response, Bruce was able to give them his approval and he started down the hall to return to his highly preferred companion. Almost ready to turn a corner, Bruce paused and glanced back at a door slightly ajar behind him. His childhood bedroom. That door never got opened, there was nothing of use or need in there. Cocking an eyebrow, he nudged it open and found Selina standing inside, occasionally bathed in a flash of lightning, her gaze intent and… Guilty. She didn't notice his presence at first, so he followed her stare up to the picture of his parents hung up on the wall. Thomas and Martha, looking as content and classy as ever.

Selina did a double take of him finally, but returned her gaze to the picture. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snoop." She said softly, "I stole a glimpse of this room when Alfred was first showing me around and I wanted to see what this was." She gestured up at the object of her focus. Bruce shrugged, "It's fine." He assured, "This was my room as a kid. We decided to keep that in here since it seemed to make guests feel a little uncomfortable." Silence fell over the dark room with only a rumble of thunder breaking the hush, and then Selina's mouth opened for a second, like she wanted to say something, but it slowly fell shut. "What?" He asked. She shook her head, "Nothing, it's none of my business." Well _that_ was just begging to be explored. "No, what is it?" Bruce pressed. She paused, considering the green light he'd just given her.

Her eyes didn't break away when her words finally spilled out, "What happened to them?" Bruce's eyebrows lifted up. "What do you mean?" He asked carefully. "Well, I know that they…" _Died_, was what she didn't want to say, "… But I was just a kid at the time, I didn't pay attention to those sort of things. What happened?" Selina finally looked over to him. Bruce rubbed the back of his neck, "We were walking away from the theater in Crime Alley and a mugger stopped us. He wanted their things, which they complied with, but he ended up shooting them anyways." He explained, watching her eyes gravitate back. She looked nauseous.

"So you were there?" "Yes." "Did the cops ever catch him?" "Yes." "And your parents things? They got them back?" "Yes, thankfully." "And your mother's jewelry was stolen from your safe?" Bruce paused, "Did Alfred tell you that?" "He did. Only because I asked why it was bothering you so much but… I think I understand more fully now." Her words trailed off for a short while before she turned to him. "I'm so sorry, Bruce." Her voice was gentle, full of heartache, full of _shame_. He weakly smiled. "Thank you." Her gaze hit the floor and he stepped forward, wrapping her up in a hug. She still seemed distant. "Hey," She looked up upon hearing his gentle tone, "Don't worry about any of that, okay? It's not your fight and it's not your fault." With a halfhearted nod she agreed, but he could tell she was still disturbed. Deciding it was enough of this, "Come on," He took her hand, "We've got a movie to finish." Selina let him lead her out and closed the door behind them.

They had returned to their previous position on the couch, movie back in full swing, and Bruce could tell Selina was completely shaken. She was absent, no longer paying attention, not clinging to him tightly when she felt nervous for John McClane, just buried in her own mind. When the film ended, he turned off the television and looked down at her, Selina propping her chin on his chest and meeting his gaze. Bruce let his hands run up and down his ribcage—he had noticed that simple action calmed her a great deal—and tilted his head a bit. "Are you okay?" She stared up at him and his affectionate question with emotions blazing in her eyes, sorrow, wistfulness, pain, and something bubbling below the surface that she was purposefully suppressing. "Yeah." She breathed.

Selina was lying. Bruce knew she was lying. But he didn't push her. He knew she wouldn't give him a straight answer about it anyways, not if she hadn't already. Instead, he just held her tight, kissed her forehead, soothed her. If she didn't want to talk, that was fine, but Selina had to know she didn't _need_ to isolate herself. She knew that, right?

She snuggled up closer, nuzzling the nape of his neck and hugging him. Bruce could feel every breath that escaped her, a sigh slipping in there as well. Selina was concerning. "I should go." Finally came those words he hated so very much. "No you shouldn't." Neither of them moved. Selina smiled and gently gripped his shirt. "I don't _want_ to, but I should." "No, you really shouldn't." With a soft laugh, she pushed herself back and sat on her heels. "You always act like I'm never coming back." Bruce's fingers reached and intertwined with hers. "I know you'll come back. I just don't want you to go in the first place." With his patented lazy smile, he drew a few extra seconds of her nearness, Selina leaning in and kissing him. But as quick as she was there, she was gone, moving off the couch and giving a shake to her hair the way that drove him crazy.

They debated at the door about whether or not he should walk her to her car, Selina insisting no, "There's no reason we should both get soaked," And Bruce insisting yes, "Well that's why I'm here, so you don't get soaked." Of course, Selina won, when she ran her hand slowly down his stomach, pressed herself close and said maybe she _should_ stay… Before swinging the door shut behind herself with a maniacal laugh and leaving him stunned and annoyed with how brutally attracted he was to her. And she knew it. And now she was using it to distract him.

With a sigh, Bruce heard her car start outside—or maybe it was still his car, he wasn't sure if she ever gave it back—and ran a hand through his hair. That woman was still hiding something from him, and it was bothersome. He knew he couldn't put too much blame on her, he kept a great deal of things to himself too, but a growing part of him wanted openness. A growing part of him didn't want to keep things from Selina and vice versa. Running his hands over his face, he decided now was a good time to go patrol. After taking a long, cold shower, of course.


	9. Jumping on The Grenade

9.

Selina sat in her dimly lit bedroom, cross-legged on the floor. Isis' purr and some traffic outside were the only noises, but she was too far within her own thoughts to notice either. In her hands, coiled up, rested the stolen pearls, the presence of which was bringing her so much misery. All this heartache over a necklace and some earrings, she thought. But immediately that sick feeling returned because Selina knew they weren't just a necklace and some earrings. They were a piece of a memory that she had no right to steal, possess or infringe upon. These pearls were the only thing she'd stolen that had brought her guilt. Normally, she'd have either worn them or sold them by now, but she could barely bring herself to touch the precious items. She didn't know what to do anymore, it was a growing weight on her shoulders, bearing down on her at all times. All because of Bruce.

Why, why did she have to get involved with him? Why did she have to care about him and his family and his butler and his _life_? Selina hadn't even tried to find out anything about Batman, she was just spending time with him because she liked to. Because he was officially her boyfriend. Officially, in her own mind anyway. They never said such things—they never needed to—but a feeling of exclusiveness had been mutually accepted. It was terrifying, yet Selina didn't want it any other way. This growing trust was likely the cause of her shame, because she was breaking it every waking moment she was in possession of his mother's pearls.

A drawn out meow dragged her attention to Isis, who sat in front of her with a look of worry—or maybe starvation—in her eyes. Selina sighed and carefully tucked her ill-gotten-gains away before scratching her cat's ear. Pushing herself up, she glanced out her window to the snowfall, delicate and beautiful over the city yet thick, rapidly building inch after inch. She was going over to Wayne Manor that night, if she could make it through such heavy snow that is. A chill shot up Selina's spine and she wrapped her arms around herself. It had been two weeks since that night at Bruce's office. That night she'd just wanted to do something nice for him and ended up in his lap, with heated touches and hungry kisses. They had been so close, just an interruption away from… They were _so close_.

Another demanding meow snapped her thoughts again, and she let out a hollered, "Alright," Before storming off into the other room to open a can of cat food for her famished feline. Selina bit her lip as she twisted the can opener knob, wondering what she would do tonight. She knew she should cancel, Bruce would understand, she'd blame the weather and that would be the end of it… But then she wouldn't see him as she hadn't gotten to almost all last week. She wouldn't get to see which shirt he wore, she wouldn't get to feel him wrap her up in a warm embrace, or hear his heart beat a little harder when she laid on him. Setting a plate of food down and watching Isis dig in, she leaned back against the wall and sighed at the love-sick child she'd become.

Selina was completely powerless to him. He was a fire, hot and bright—and _hot_—and she was a moth, unable to pull away no matter how much he would end up burning her. Sure, it was her own fault it would never work out, but that was because of _him_. She couldn't see anything stopping this vicious cycle any time soon.

* * *

Parking in front of the mansion, Selina quickly—or, as quickly as she could wade through a foot and a half of snow—made her way up on the porch and banged the doorknocker as a sharp, snow filled breeze whipped up and stung her cheeks. Thankfully, she was expected. The large door swung open and Bruce quickly ushered her in, spouting something about how he had been expecting a call to take a rain check, he half thought Movie Night was cancelled. Yeah right, like she could stay away. Unraveling layers of winter wear, Selina took notice of his eyes on her, observing each bulky item falling away and slowly revealing her form while asking her how she was, if she had trouble getting here, if she was cold. She loved the attention, the affection.

Spinning and planting a quick kiss on him, she assured Bruce she had an awful time getting here, she was crabby from terrible drivers and she was chilled to the bone. All of which were true. His smile melted all cold and crabbiness from her body. "Well, I think I can help with a couple of those." His voice made her fingers tingle. Selina lightly gripped his shirt, then realized she was groping at dress shirt fabric. Glancing down at the button up, she cocked an eyebrow. "Boy, I sure feel underdressed." She stated, drawing a laugh.

"I didn't have time to change, we finally got that deal settled and I was in the study until about," He checked his watch, "Thirty seconds before you knocked." Tilting her head and giving a soft hum, Selina eyes fell back to the buttons. "These seem awfully uncomfortable to lay on. I might end up with red circles on my face." She mused and gave a disapproving shake of her head as she fiddled with one.

"We can't have circles disfiguring you, can we?" He replied dryly. Selina tilted her head up and he brushed his nose against hers. "I guess I'll be right back." The grin was less on his face and more in his voice.

"There are three choices tonight." He stated as he stepped away from her. Separating, Bruce left to ditch the non-snuggle-conducive shirt and Selina checked what he'd left out. The obvious choice was what she decided to go with, and that was Blade Runner. It had action, was artfully directed and had a good love story.

With that decided, she popped into the kitchen to find Alfred washing dishes—as per usual… How many dishes did they use in a day, anyways?—and she smiled. "Hi there, Alfred." And also as usual, he casually glanced back, not startled in the least by her sudden appearance.

"Good evening, Ms. Kyle. Did you have trouble getting here?"

"Quite a bit of trouble, actually. But it was worth it just to see your smiling face, darling."

Alfred chuckled, and that was the most she could ever get out of him. "Well, I'm glad _someone_ appreciates it."

"How could you not?"

From over Selina's shoulder, a much deeper register chimed in. "I ask him that same question daily." Turning, she grinned at Bruce who looked extremely amused as he leaned against the wall beside her.

Alfred huffed, "I must be experiencing hearing loss, sir, I never hear you remark on my joyful temperament." Came the monotone response.

"I'll try to speak up." Bruce retorted before slipping back into the other room. Selina giggled at their interaction. "Don't let him rain on your parade." She stated, earning a sudsy salute before she followed after Bruce.

He glanced back at her from his spot on the sofa and smiled. "I knew you'd choose this one." He gestured with his head at her movie choice. Selina shrugged a little before hopping up on the back of the couch and easing herself down onto him. She had Bruce well trained by now, she enjoyed using him as her personal pillow and he knew it—but he liked it quite a bit too. With one of his legs beside her and the other dangling off the couch, Selina wrapped her arms around that familiar waist and snuggled against his broad chest—he'd chosen a soft long sleeved shirt she loved—with a content sigh. His fingertips brushed up and down her spine in languid movements as their movie started. That wonderful motion was extremely distracting.

"I never understood whose eye that was." She grumbled a bit.

"I think it's just supposed to be symbolic. Like, we're all being watched over." His voice got spooky for the last sentence.

"Yeah probably. Big brother. Still."

"If you have a problem with that, you must hate the unicorn dream."

"Not as much as the intro. At least the unicorn relates to Rachel."

"How so?"

"A unicorn among horses. It's one of a kind, special. Just like her."

Bruce hummed in consideration before nodding. "That makes sense."

"Ooh, when this guy gets it. Makes me jump every time." Her fingers tightened on him and his heartbeat quickened under her.

Around a third of the way through the movie, the lights flickered and a wind howled outside. Selina sat up a bit and glanced back to the curtains shielding them from a view of what was happening outside. "Yikes." She murmured, as another whistling gust rattled. Resting herself back down, she found his arms wrap a little tighter around her. Bruce could tell she didn't like this bad weather, was Selina's assumption.

Around halfway through the movie, the lights flickered again, only this time, all electricity blew out completely. And it stayed off. Sitting up, Selina paused and waited to see if the power might pop back on, but there was no such luck. "Well, I guess we're done watching that one." Bruce stated, earning a soft giggle before sliding out from under her and carefully moving to the window—careful, that is, to not crack his knee on something. Peering out the glass, he whistled while Selina slunk up behind him. Snow was piled over two feet tall and working on building its third, a wet and heavy blanket which was no doubt the cause of this outage. But golly it was beautiful. "Wow." She breathed. "I think you're finally getting your wish. It doesn't look like I'm going home tonight."

Bruce nodded a bit and glanced down at her. "I'd say that's a definite." He mused, not sounding too broken up about it. "It looks like we get to have a slumber party." Her eyes widened with excitement and he couldn't help but laugh a bit. Selina returned her attention to the window and wrapped her arms around herself. "It's so pretty." She said, leaning her cheek against his shoulder, a peaceful atmosphere settling over them. "Gorgeous." He agreed.

"You better have been looking at me when you said that."

She earned another laugh, "What else could I be talking about?" Bruce asked as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, "Nothing else compares."

"It's alright!" Alfred's voice rang, a flashlight bringing some illumination to his path.

Turning to face him, Bruce cleared his throat. "Thank you Alfred." The butler, ever prepared for any situation, handed his master a matching flashlight and Selina a box of matches. Alfred piped, "If you would assist me in lighting more candles around the house, we'll be seeing in no time." Before starting off to begin the self given task. Selina and Bruce shared a look before she smiled and shrugged, "You heard the man. Let's get moving." She led the way… Once he turned on the flashlight.

* * *

It didn't take long to light up the main areas, and as Selina lit a few more candles Bruce lit the fireplace. Alfred strolled in, a small radio in hand and stated it had batteries—although they were likely run down from lack of activity—so it may be of some use. He then proceeded to leave them be, skedaddling off into the mansion to find something to keep himself busy. Selina spread on a blanket in front of the fireplace and grabbed a pillow to sit on. Bruce joined her, but he chose to lean back on his hands while warmth washed over them.

And then they were completely alone.

Selina became increasingly aware of that fact. Her teeth snagged her bottom lip as she watched the flames lapping up as if to try and crawl out the chimney. Bruce's deep chuckle pulled her attention back to him. He was focused on their source of heat as well, but he had a gentle smile, a smile that revealed cogs spiraling in his mind.

"What?" She asked.

He looked up at her. "Hmm?"

"You laughed."

"That could hardly be qualified as a laugh."

"A laugh is a laugh, there isn't a laughing scale."

"Sure there is, a huff is far from belly laughing." He flashed his patented lazy smile.

Selina's eyebrow arched. "So where does yours fall on the chart, then?"

"I'd say it was above a snicker, but below a guffaw."

"Guffaw? You're just making things up."

"It's a word."

"Not really my point. What did you find funny?"

"Not funny, more amusing. Those are different too."

"For the love of God just tell me!" She said through a laugh as she lightly swatted his arm.

With a mischievous grin Bruce paused, as if gauging whether he should tell her or not. He _better_. Sucking in a deep breath, his gaze trailed from hers. "It's nothing major, there's just this little thing you do." He attempted to leave it at that, but Selina was not going to be satisfied until he spilled the beans. Clearing his throat, Bruce had no choice but to tell her. "You have this little… tick." She looked confused and he continued, "When you're thinking really hard or worried, you bite your lip. It's cute. And you were just doing it, that's all."

"Do I do other adorable things I'm unaware of?"

"You make little faces when you read a menu."

"And you think it's adorable?"

"Absolutely. So is the way you're blushing right now."

Selina didn't have a comeback for that one, so she simply turned her gaze to her lap and bit her lip—oh. Maybe she did do that. His finger tucked under her chin and gently guided her face back up. "Hey, don't get all self-conscious on me now. It's just a part of who you are. I love your little habits." There was a flash of something in Bruce's eyes, like he'd just said something he didn't mean to or _shouldn't have_, but in a blink it was gone and he smiled sweetly at her. Selina couldn't remember a time when she'd wanted to kiss him more.

So she did. And when his fingers dug into her hair and he deepened the kiss, her bones turned to liquid.

They parted and caught their breath and Selina turned the mood lighthearted again. She flicked on the small radio and tuned it to local news, where they were discussing this early winter blizzard. Apparently, it was supposed to lighten up over the night but continue dusting through next week. Upon this news, Bruce and Selina discussed what would happen if they were trapped inside until Tuesday. When they decided they'd be driving each other crazy, they could always grab some snow and have a snowball fight or, as Bruce pointed out, he could just as easily stick her head first in a snow drift. Selina laughed. "Good luck with that plan." She scoffed.

As their conversations bled from one topic into the next, an hour and a half ticking by, voices that once rang clearly though the radio were softer now, energy draining out of its batteries. Selina stretched out, letting her toes soak in heat from the dancing fire. Dancing. "You remember our first date?" She asked as she shot him a sideways glance. He nodded and she smirked. "I was mortified." That seemed to puzzle him, so she clarified, "It was a lovely night, but you chose the one thing I can't do. At all. And I ended up obliterating your foot, which put a taint on things." Selina chuckled to herself and shook her head, "I'm stunned you still wanted to see me after that."

Bruce gave a wave of his hand, "Oh please, it would've taken a lot more than a busted foot to "taint" you. Besides, everything else was great." Selina nodded in agreement. He leaned a little closer, "It wasn't really that bad for you, was it?" She gave a look that said yes, in fact, it was, "You danced pretty well, though." Her expression didn't change. "Your shoes were really the problem, not you." Not even a blip of change in reaction. Bruce met her gaze for a moment before a light bulb seemed to appear over his head. He reached over and began working the radio dial, skittering through stations like he was searching for something. That caught her attention, but Selina didn't ask. She just watched. Finally, he tuned in to something, a slow instrumental song flowing out in a rasp. Bruce pushed himself to his feet and held his hand out to her.

"What are you doing?"

"I've been wanting to give dancing with you a second try and now seems appropriate."

Selina's eyes widened. "Wait. What? No. I can't—I don't know how to..."

Bruce had a "charm" switch, she discovered. It was his superpower. He didn't even change anything about himself, in demeanor or appearance, but something would flick on and it became extremely hard to say no to him. Perhaps it was just her being unable to deny him much anyways. But now, that power activated. "It's not like we're doing anything else. And no one's around, it's just you and me."

She bit her lip.

"Selina."

Her stomach fluttered at his deep, velvet voice rumbling her name. She cursed herself for it, but she took his hand.

Helping her up, Bruce locked an arm around her waist and drew her close… Very close. One of her hands found that familiar shoulder while her other threaded through his hand. This part, she liked a lot. The actual dancing, not so much. "I'm going to end up stepping on your toes." She said softly. He replied, "That's what I want." Making her eyes shoot up to his. It took her a moment, but then she understood, he wanted her to stand on his feet. His expression was gentle, soft. She was safe here, with him, and he was asking her to trust him.

That's what dancing was really, a trust exercise. Could Selina give up some control and just let him lead? Could she let go of having to worry about herself and let him take care of her? At least, on this small scale… But it didn't feel like a small scale. Because no matter how much she told herself that's all this was, a harmless little romantic gesture, she knew it was so much more. He was asking her to put her weight on him and let him carry her. That held more meaning than just dancing, right? Or was Selina just turning herself into a romantic now, with her head up in the clouds, reading into every little thing?

She didn't think it was option two, but that left a scary alternative. This felt like a step forward. Like it meant they were changing stages in their relationship, or rather; changing stages was in _her_ hands.

Or maybe she really was just reading more into everything now.

Regardless, Selina swallowed as she looked down and carefully stepped on top his feet, her hand that once held his slinging around the back of his neck for stability, being joined by her other arm. His free limb coiled around her midsection, joining its twin as well and dispersing her weight a little more. She looked back up and found his eyes, familiar piercing blue with the fire light flickering through them. A different kind of fire was there too. And then Bruce began to move, setting a slow tempo to their sway and keeping her steady.

Selina barely noticed they were moving. She barely noticed anything around them. When Bruce leaned down and touched his forehead to hers, Selina let her eyes flutter shut. Her senses were flooded with him. All she could hear was his shallow breath, all she could smell was the fresh scent that clung to him, all she could feel was his strength and warmth. It was like a drug she couldn't possibly get enough of, and likewise, his feelings weren't too different. He clung to her, holding her as close as she would let him—as close as they could get—and although gentle, there was possessiveness in his touch.

"See? It's not so bad." Bruce murmured, undoubtedly a smile on his face.

Selina shrugged a little before pulling back to look at him. "Why do you like dancing with me so much?"

He didn't even blink. "It's an excuse to put my hands on you."

"You can always put your hands on me."

His grumble meant he didn't think that was true, "In public? Not really—" She cut off that sentence. "Bruce, you can _always_ put your hands on me." Her tone softened, lowered, became a bit more hushed, "I like when you do." There was a long silence after that, mainly because words were going to fail her if she tried to use them. His gaze changed, glazed over some with his thoughts, and his fingers traced a small circle in the center of her back, sending electricity through her nerves. A heat filled the space around them, similar to that night in his office. Similar, yet different in a few key ways. This wasn't just a carnal feeling like it had previously been. Whatever was building here went _much_ deeper than that.

Slowly, Selina leaned up and brushed her lips across his, taking note of the way his hands tightened on her. Lingering there, she just shared the same space as Bruce for a moment, quietly waiting for him to close the gap. She didn't have to wait long. He waited only a breath or two before capturing her mouth. Bruce had kissed Selina quite a bit. She had deemed him great at it, too. But this one, this one was different. It embodied the new atmosphere. There was an emotion in it, one that both washed over her slowly like a cleansing shower and hit her like a freight train, leaving her breathless. In that moment, Selina could feel he loved her. Bruce _loved_ her.

And damn it all, she knew she loved him too.

At some point they had stopped moving, and at some point she'd stepped down off of his feet in favor of pressing her body flat against his. After a while—really, God knows how long—he moved from her mouth, trailing kisses along her jaw, all the way to a spot on her neck just below her ear and his hands slid up her back, scrunching her shirt under their touch. Selina's nails dug into his shoulders and a small gasp escaped her throat when his fingers grazed her skin. Bruce's movements paused. No no no no _NO. _But he pulled back enough to look her in the eyes. Their faces were both flushed, their breathing jagged, and he was silently asking her what she wanted.

Selina's hands cupped his face and she pulled him back into a kiss that left no room for doubt. That was all he needed. Thankfully.

His previous actions resumed and she gave in to the sensations. She barely remembered being scooped up, she didn't much recall which pieces of clothing got shed and where—she did notice scars though, her fingertips skimming across his skin and finding smooth streaks that made her curious on some level, but that got filed away for later—and she never even noticed entering the master bedroom. But when he gently laid her back on that comforter she'd admired so long ago and loomed over her, pausing just to take in her face against the dark of the room, Selina did know one thing. She knew she wanted this—wanted Bruce—more than any treasure or piece of jewelry she'd ever stolen.

* * *

It had been a long while since Alfred had checked in on the pair, he had been trying to figure out if there was some way to get the power back. But, ever the dutiful butler, he decided to go make sure they weren't in need of anything or hadn't fallen asleep.

The scene he came upon made his eyebrow quirk up.

The radio was on, but completely dead, the fireplace still had a glow in it, but was almost burned out, and a trail of clothes lead out of the room. Well, it was fairly evident what happened. Clearing his throat, Alfred started by putting out the embers, clicked the radio off out of propriety, and then began scooping up articles of clothing and folding them. He found the last one in the hallway leading to the master bedroom.

Folding up two piles, his and hers, he left them outside the door and then hightailed it out of there immediately, as the sounds from inside leaked through the closed door. Shaking his head, Alfred strolled off to begin his nightly routine of washing up, reading with his light-up bookmark for a while, and then getting some shut eye. Just another day in the life as Bruce Wayne's servant, he thought.

* * *

Beep-beep

Beep-beep

**Beep-beep**

The irritating, shrill beep slowly entered Selina's consciousness, rousing her out of her deep sleep. Her eyes fluttered halfway open and worked to focus through the blur that had settled in them. The soft light of morning filtering in from the curtains illuminated her surroundings and also made her want to sink under the covers and hide from daylight. Thankfully she had her back to it, so it wasn't quite so bad. That unending beeping, however, was horrible.

A masculine groan sounded from behind her and she felt movement, shifting, before there was a little click and that wretched sound ceased. His perfectly muscled arm slung around her as he lay back down, nestling up against her with a sigh. Selina smiled to herself. She wouldn't have taken Bruce to be a cuddler, but then again, maybe it was just _her_ he wanted to cuddle up to. Stretching and arching her back, she sucked in a deep breath.

"That clock wake you too?" Bruce mumbled into her hair. Selina hummed a confirmation and stretched her limbs. She moved like she was about to sit up, but his powerful arm pinned her back down. "It's sleeping time." He protested. With a giggle, she attempted to sit up again, and once more he pushed her back down. Selina glanced back at him and tried to pry his arm off of herself. His grasp only tightened and he flipped her clean over to the other side of the bed, grinning at her shriek of surprise. Now she was on her back and pinned under half of his body.

"Bruce," She griped, "I want to sit up."

He grumbled a negative response into his pillow.

She let out a drawn out whine and got lightly poked in the ribs, her natural reaction being to wrench away. That caught his attention. He finally woke up and looked at her, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "You're ticklish." He stated, "You never told me you were ticklish." She wondered why that was, exactly. Oh yes, because he was _evil_… In his own little way. Selina tried to inch away from him, weakly and halfheartedly tried to convince him she wasn't, but in a flash his fingers were prodding her and quickly finding every ticklish spot. She wiggled and writhed as laughter bubbled uncontrollably out from her throat, but she couldn't escape his assault.

"This is your own fault," He assured her through a chuckle, "If you had just stopped squirming this wouldn't be happening."

"Ple-e-e-ease!" She squealed.

Bruce finally relented and rolled over onto his back, letting her gain some composure. Selina sat up and caught her breath before shooting him a false glare. "That was grand scale cheating." She scoffed. He simply grinned at her. Selina flipped and straddled his hips, showing a cheeky little smile of her own. "Cheaters never prosper, Bruce." Her fake chastising drew a laugh from him. Selina's hands slid up his torso, her eyes following the lazy trail of her touch over his toned stomach and all the way up to his chest.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she got a look at the scars that resided there. Eight slashes, four going left and four going right, one set looking a little older and a little less deep than the other. The fresher ones also looked like they had sustained some sort of trauma, like something had torn at them. A memory was triggering in her, but she couldn't place why or which one. Selina mentally ran through all of their time together, trying to figure out how she knew these marks.

Had she seen them peeking out of his shirt? No, she'd have asked about them sooner. Had he mentioned something about an incident where he'd been marred? No, she'd definitely remember that—it would have been a reason to get his clothes off. Bruce shouldn't have slashes like these, and she did notice they were slashes. Slashes… Selina tilted her head a bit, "Where did you get these?" He hesitated, gave her some excuse, told her it was an accident and that they weren't that bad, but as her fingertips traced over one set—

_She flipped around, swinging her leg towards him, which he dodged, but he couldn't miss the quick claws that slashed his chest as she gracefully came back up in one swift movement._

Her stomach sank, her eyes widened. But… But that had been… Her fingers glided across the matching set, moving slowly in the same way she'd left them on—

_Hoping he could see how sorry she was, how she didn't want this, she dug her claws into his chest and slashed. Hearing his deep voice crack in a yelp caused a lump in her throat, but as soon as he released her—_

Dear God. This couldn't be. Her fingers trembled—

_She spun and sent her whip exactly where she knew he'd be. Batman could barely stop before the leather cracked against his chest, causing a strangled noise through gritted teeth as it found its target—_

"Selina?"

Her eyes snapped up to his face, which was filled with concern. "Are you okay?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Selina swallowed and nodded. Bruce looked like he didn't believe her—he shouldn't, she was not okay on every level—and he sat up fully, coming face to face with her. "You don't look okay." He observed as his hands rested on her waist.

Selina shook herself. "Sorry, I… I guess I just got distracted." She hoped her voice didn't sound too breathless. He watched her for a moment before he kissed her, soft and sweet. She never felt more tense in her life. He moved to her neck, peppering kisses across her skin to coax her into a more relaxed state. Selina stared forward in complete shock. This massive revelation had just rocked her world.

Bruce Wayne was Batman.

The man she loved was the man who hated her. Batman hadn't gone ballistic about her theft because he _knew_ Bruce, he'd gone ballistic because he _is_ Bruce. She could have thrown up.

If his hands and mouth hadn't been keeping her from losing her mind.

Quickly, Selina regained her cool, remembered where she was and who she was with—which was freaking Batman—and what they were doing. Or, about to do. Letting her eyes slide shut, Selina dug her fingers into his hair and tried to block everything else out. She just let her body take over and she removed her mind, lest she have a psychotic breakdown at the thought of what he would do to her if he found out who she really was.

* * *

Alfred had been up since the crack of dawn, perhaps a bit before. The electricity had returned in the night, so he was able to go about his day as usual. When Master Bruce—and he assumed Selina—didn't come down, he wondered if perhaps they overslept. He went about his duties, had some breakfast, and even got to catch an episode of that soap opera that may have just happened to catch his attention— every day on the dot— from time to time.

Once that was done, and they still hadn't come downstairs, he wondered if perhaps they'd like something to eat. Debating for a while on what he should do, Alfred finally chose to go ask.

With a little pep in his step—since in the soap, that Kelsey girl finally broke up with Jay and Darcy woke up from that dreadful coma—he trotted through the hallways, up the stairs and down more hallways to the master bedroom. Approaching the shut door, he raised his fist to knock and in one swift movement spun on his heel and left when noises pouring out made it clear they probably didn't want to be disturbed. Shaking his head, Alfred went to go find something to polish and wondered if they'd even taken a break last night. Either way, it was none of his business and if they wanted anything, they could come find him.

Yet another day in the life, Alfred thought.

* * *

Selina's head rested on Bruce's shoulder, her leg thrown carelessly over his, her fingers trailing little patterns on his chest. She felt calmer now, at least she wasn't fighting shaking anymore, but her mind still whirled. "Bruce?" He hummed softly in response, "I've never spent a whole day in bed before." She mused, trying to distract herself. She failed.

Bruce's fingers wove into her hair, letting strands filter through his grasp. "No time like the present." He purred before placing a kiss on her forehead. Selina smiled, but it quickly faded. Glancing down, her touch traced over his scars, over the proof of how much she had hurt him. She hadn't cared nearly as much when she was just scratching Batman. She'd made her peace with it, she'd done what she had to do to survive.

But now that it was Bruce? Everything was different. Her guilt was bad before, now it was crippling.

Hand flattening on those scars, Selina wanted to block it out, go back to what they were before. Just be Bruce and Selina, in a normal relationship that had recently become very serious. She gave a small nuzzle to his neck, and felt a small sigh escape him. "You know how much I… How I feel about you, right?" She asked. There was a tiny pause, but only because he sounded caught off guard when he replied, "Yeah, I know."

Half of her said she didn't deserve it, but the other half wished he would say those three words first. She would have felt a whole lot better.

* * *

Selina sat cross-legged on the floor of her dimly lit bedroom, pearl necklace and earrings coiled up in her hands. Isis' purr and traffic outside were the only sounds, although she couldn't hear them over her own soft sobs. She couldn't do this. She couldn't keep going like this, it was all eating her alive. Dropping the pearls back into the box she'd kept them in like they were on fire, Selina gripped her hair as frustrated, pained tears hit her floor.

That day she had spent with him was rapture. Completely perfect in every way, she would have been content in having Isis brought over and never leaving again. Her possible life with him had become so much more vivid, so much more real, and she wanted it… But that meant she'd have to give up being Catwoman. Selina couldn't risk being caught and completely blowing up their relationship that way. But how could she lose a part of herself, a part she loved, a part that made her feel free and alive? She'd already been forced into—mostly—hiding, she'd only donned her costume a handful of times since he'd chased her. And her soul felt caged.

But if she didn't give up one life or the other, they were going to collide. Maybe not now, maybe not any time soon, but _somewhere_ they would crash and implode on themselves, incinerating everything in their path. She didn't want to be left with nothing and… She didn't want him to be left with nothing either. That's exactly what would happen if she stayed with Bruce. It would blow up in her face, she told herself, and she would burn not only herself but him as well. Isis meowed at her, rubbed against her back and purred, coaxing her into calming down and allowing her some clarity. Balling up, Selina buried her face in her arms. She knew what she had to do.


End file.
